Discovering Alaska
by sevenofdiamonds7
Summary: Moving to a new town is difficult enough without the loom of making new friends hanging over you. Alaska and Matthew discover each other at school but more importantly, they discover that love in its greatest form is friendship. That's the kind of relationship that lasts a lifetime, no matter what problems are thrown at them.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This is my next story called Discovering Alaska :D It might help if you've read my previous story but it won't make a difference if you haven't :D **

**It's set in the future where Yves and Phoenix are married (it's based on one of their children)**

**Attribution: By Rolands Lakis (originally posted to Flickr as Princess 1) [CC-BY-2.0 ( /licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons**

**Please review my chapters so I now whether or not your guys like it! **

**Alaska's POV**

'Goddamn it Ally! Get out of my goddamn way!' My younger sister, Tiffany, pushed past me, knocking me against the wall.

'Sorry.' I muttered and shut the door to my room so I don't bother anyone.

'MOM! Where's my new DKNY bag!' Tiffany shrieked, her voice echoing around the house like a siren.

'I don't know darling. Have you unpacked it yet?!' Mom shouted back. We had only just moved to a small town in Denver named Wickenridge so most of our belongings were still in boxes. If either my mom or sister had bothered to help me pack up our old house, they would know that each box is coded and organised.

'Ask Alaska!' Mom called back to Tiffany.

Tiffany burst through my bedroom door with the picture of despair on her pretty made-up face. Her dark brown hair hung in curls around her shoulders.

'Alaska! Do you know where my DNKY bag is?!'

'If you listened to what I told you, you would know that your bag would be in the box labelled _Tiffany's accessories_.' I rolled my eyes and diverted my attention back to my book.

'Tiff! Are you ready yet?!' Mom shouted up the stairs. That's all everyone seems to do in this house: shout. Leonardo Da Vinci once said 'where there is shouting, there is no true knowledge.' When I quoted this to my mother, she asked me whether or not he was still alive. I guess that just proves his point.

'Inside voices, please?' I muttered under my breath.

'Coming Mom!' Tiffany yelled in reply.

'Alaska! I'll see you later this evening. There isn't any food in the house so I need you to go shopping!' Mom said before I heard the front door slam with fairly excessive force.

Mom decided to treat Tiffany to a meal of her choice since Tiffany got a B in her end of year maths exam. Tiff specifically requested that I wasn't allowed to go since she wanted some bonding time with mum alone. Not that I would want to go anyway; Tiffany chose a restaurant that specialized in meat and I'm a vegetarian.

I get A's in every one of my subjects yet mom has never taken me out for a meal. I understand though; mom has explained to me many times that she just can't love me as much as Tiffany. My father was an abusive drunk who used to hit both me and my mom, even though I was only a baby. My mother said that I look so much like him that it's uncanny. She said that simply by looking at me, it reminds her of him. When I was one year old, mom took me and ran away from my father.

Fortunately, mom found her soulfinder and they had Tiffany together. I was left on the side-lines since I was an outsider to the family. 6 years ago, my mother's soulfinder died in a car crash. We were all upset although it hit Tiffany and my mother the hardest. It didn't break her though, my mom. She stayed strong and brought up Tiffany and myself on her own. Mom tried to make up for the loss of Tiffany's father by showering her in love and designer gifts.

I have no interest in designer items; what makes something worth more value than the same item with a lesser brand? Besides, all I could ever ask for was a room full of books and then my heart would be content. A room without books is like a body without a soul. The thing I like the most about reading is that you could travel to the furthest star in space or the deepest point in the ocean, yet not actually leave the room. You could have gazillion friends, yet never have to remember their birthdays or actually hold a conversation with them.

I guess I should probably go get some food right now. It was mid-afternoon and I kind of wanted to avoid the rush of school children coming out from school on a Friday. I looked in the mirror, just making sure I looked presentable. I brushed my blonde, silvery hair which was dead straight and reached half way down my back. I put on some subtle lip-gloss to stop my lips from getting dry. The only thing I couldn't make better was my eyes. I have this thing called heterochromia iridis meaning that the irises of my eyes were different colours; one was light blue and the other was dark, emerald green, making my face look relatively un-symmetrical. I have grown used to it over the years although it still makes people stare at me in an odd way.

I remembered seeing a supermarket on the way into our new house and the walk wasn't that long. Thankfully, I didn't draw any attention to myself on the journey to the supermarket. Part of me was kind of hoping that I would go through school in a similar fashion since some people can be a hindrance on my theosophical pondering and thinking. Another part of me told me that I should stop being so exclusive and perhaps try a socialized with other humans and get noticed. However, forgot being noticed at school, it's hard enough for the automatic doors at the supermarket to acknowledge my existence.

There wasn't that many people at the supermarket, probably because they were all at work or school. I quickly grabbed the basics we would need for a few days: food, toiletries, snacks, washing powder...e.t.c. A quote of John Kenneth Galbraith popped into my head: 'A person buying ordinary products in a supermarket is in touch with his deepest emotions.' I guess you could say I am in touch with emotions yet I try hide to mask it. I guess you could say that I guess a lot of things.

Just as I finished paying, I noticed a pregnant woman carrying two shopping bags that looked quite heavy and quickly rushed over to her.

'Hey, I'll carry those for you.' I said, taking the bags from her hands.

'Thank you ever so much!' She smiled at me gratefully. I could see her staring at my eyes although she didn't say anything. She seemed nice enough though; she had dark brown hair pulled into a messy bun and wore stylish but mum-like clothes.

'Where are you walking to?' I asked.

'Just over to my car back there.'

'So how far are you along?' I said, nodding towards her stomach.

'7 months. Not long now.'

'Your first child?'

'Seventh actually.' She grinned at me.

'Wow! How do you manage it all?!' I exclaimed. Mom always complained that it was hell raising both Tiff and I but I couldn't imagine what she would say if there was another 5 of us to look after.

'I haven't seen you around here, are you new?' She asked politely.

'Yes, I just moved here today with my mom and sister. My name's Alaska.'

'Such a pretty name. I'm Phee. Short for Phoenix.'

Once we got to her car, I helped her load the shopping into the boot of the car and noticed that she had stacks of books in the boot ranging from 'Oxford dictionaries to 'Peter pan.'

'Wow I haven't read peter pan in ages! It used to be my favourite book.' I laughed.

'Me too. I work at the library, you see. You can borrow it if you like?'

'If that's okay. I promise to return it. I don't suppose there are any job vacancies at the library?' I asked since I have to help out with the rent at home.

'If you're looking for a job, I'd me more than happy to take you on. I can't exactly lift too many books in my condition.' She smiled warmly.

'That would be brilliant. When would you like me to start?' I smiled in gratification. No one knew what paradise was like, but in my opinion, it would resemble a well-stocked library.

'Just pop by anytime this week. You can start straight away.'

'Well thank you very much.' I grinned in surprise.

'You're very welcome. Would you like me to give you a life home?'

'It's okay. Thanks for the offer though. I quite like walking.' I replied. All great thoughts are conceived whilst walking.

'I'll see you sometime this week then?' She asked.

'Yes, it was nice meeting you Phoenix. Thanks very much for the book.' I waved as she drove off in her car. It was only my first day here and already I had made a friend and got a job. Maybe moving to Wickenridge was a good idea after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank-you so much for all the positive feed back! :D Here is the next chapter so i hope you like it! :) Please leave a review**

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**Matthew's POV**

Nelson Mandela once said 'Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.'

Looking around at these teenage imbeciles around me, I realise that if my fellow students are a representation of the rest of the world, it isn't going to change much.

Drake Walker, simply known as 'Walker', sat at the back of the class with his feet on his desk, throwing paper airplanes to his friends. His friends grinned at the paper airplanes as though they had never seen such beautiful origami made by such skilled hands as Walker.

_'Idiots.'_ I think to myself and divert my attention back to Mrs Homan, a small elderly woman who wore clothes that were far too big for her. She wasn't so much teaching as she was trying to control the class. She didn't dare tell off Walker and his mates and instead kept feebly saying things like:

'Am I going to have to keep you behind?' and 'Shall I go and get the head-teacher?' Even I knew that they were empty threats.

My sympathy for her only went so far since she had barely taught us any English literature for the past year, meaning that I have to then teach myself at home. I guess that is only partly her fault and partly the class's fault. I had finished the work Mrs Homan had set ages ago so I took off my glasses and sat there, observing the rest of the class as one would when visiting the zoo.

'Matt? Do you understand this? I really just don't get it.' Katie sighed from behind me. I turned around on my chair so I could see her giving me a dazzling smile. Katie was exceptionally pretty with chestnut coloured hair and dark hazel eyes.

'Yes, basically, you have to read between the lines. Try and work out what message Shakespeare is giving out by using certain imagery.' I said helpfully.

'How can you read in between the lines? There's nothing there?' She asked, confused. She may be pretty but she certainly wasn't very bright. My father always said 'there's no inverse correlation between beauty and intelligence' but in cases such as Katie's, maybe there is.

'It's a saying. It means that you have to look past the words for hidden meanings. For example, he may have used Christian imagery to make Romeo and Juliet's relationship seem more holy since the Elizabethan era was very religious.' I tried to explain although Katie kept asking stupid questions. In the end, I spent the rest of the lesson helping her until she finally got the work done.

'Thanks Matt. You're really smart, you know that?' She smiled at me and touched my arm in a gesture that was a little more than friendly. Normally I would be thrilled at the attention of a beautiful girl like Katie although not today, especially not since she's dating Walker.

I got caught behind after school for a while, talking to the physics teacher about future careers. Luckily my younger siblings: Elliot, Sadie and Ben, had after school clubs today so I wouldn't have to pick them up till much later. My younger brother Toby always got a lift home with his friend since he said that I would ruin his street cred.

As I got out to the car park, I realised that my car wasn't the only car left. Walker and his friends were still waiting around. I walked to the car without glancing in their direction but Walker shouted my name.

'Oi! Matthew! I want a word with you!' Walker bellowed.

'What did you want to say?' I asked as respectfully as I could manage for someone like Walker.

'You were getting nice and cosy with my girlfriend in English? Weren't you?' He sneered, coming closer to me. His friends followed him as though they were Walker's shadow.

'I was helping her with her work.' I told him honestly.

Walker laughed coldly and motioned for his friends to hold my arms to stop me from running.

I could easily get out of his their grasp. My savant gift was to use other people's energy to enhance my own physical abilities, such as strength or speed. If I used my gift, I could knock Walker out in one punch, or break his arm just by holding it. If I let my powers get out of hand, I could easily kill him and run away from the scene at an exceptionally fast pace. That's why I can't fight back encase my powers get out of control.

'This will teach you for hitting on my girlfriend.' Walker said and punched me in the face. When I didn't fight back, he did it again and kneed me in the stomach in hope of sparking some reaction. My father said that I must never display my savant gift.

'What the hell, Matthew? You gonna let someone kick you about?! Fight back you coward!' Walker laughed, kicking me.

After a while, he got bored and walked away, leaving me bleeding with bruised limbs.

I staggered home and hung my jacket up in the hallway. I could hear mom and dad talking in the kitchen whilst cooking dinner. Mom was saying something about hiring a girl for a job.

'Matt? Is that you?' She called when she heard the door shut.

'Yeah, mom.' I replied casually.

She came out into the hallway and her mouth dropped open in shock.

'Oh my God! What happened to your face?!' She exclaimed, pulling me into the kitchen.

'It doesn't matter.' I muttered.

'Of course it matters. Did someone do this to you, son?' Dad asked, looking concerned.

'I said it doesn't matter!' I raised my voice, frustrated that I let Walker get away with it, simply because I was born with this gift. Gift or a curse.

'Toby! Go find the first aid kit!' Mom yelled up the stairs.

'Do you want to talk about it?' My dad asked softly.

'What's there to talk about?! I hate this! I hate my gift!'

'I understand, son.'

'No you don't. I had to stand there and let them hit me because if I fought back, I would have put them in hospital.' I exclaimed, clenching my fists together to stop my hands from breaking anything else.

I really did hate my gift. I remember back when I was a kid and all my siblings used to play-fight with each other although I was never allowed encase I seriously hurt one of them. I accidently broke my brother Toby's arm when he was teaching me karate moves when I was seven

'Ouch, did you get into a fight?' Toby, who was 15, said, coming into the kitchen.

'It was pretty one-sided. I'm not allowed to fight back, am I?' I shot back, a little more sharper than I intended.

'I know this is hard for you, Matt, but you just need to accept that you have to keep your gift a secret.' Dad explained.

'I nearly lost it dad. Walker makes me so made I could have killed him.' I murmured.

'Toby will look out for you, won't you Toby?' Dad said.

'I don't need my younger brother to protect me! I can look after myself!' I growled and gripped the glass of water Toby gave me. The glass shattered since I didn't keep my powers locked down tight enough.

'Sorry. I didn't mean-' I apologised and started cleaning up the broken pieces of glass on the table although mom stopped me.

'It's fine Matt. Just…take a break. Dinner won't be for another 45minutes or so, why don't you go down the stables for a bit?' She suggested.

'Yeah. I'm sorry again. For getting angry.' I said, feeling guilty. I'm never normally like this.

'At least you didn't go all 'Hulk Smash' this time.' Toby grinned.

'I'll be home for dinner.' I forced a slight smile and got up.

'See you later Dr Banner.' Toby called, cheering me up slightly. I love comic books and superheroes so ever since I could remember, my nickname has been Dr Banner. Dr Bruce Banner is the character before he gets all angry and turns into Hulk. It is a strangely suitable name for me, considering my savant power…except I don't turn into a green monster.

The stables were positioned on the top of Park road and were home to about 14 horses, some with private owners and others which were used for lessons. I didn't have my own horse although I certainly did have a favourite. Spiderman was a chestnut coloured horse that belonged to the old lady who owned the stables although she practically lets me take ownership of Spiderman. She even let me name it after he was born.

I spend half an hour or so watching Spiderman run around the field. I've always loved the stables since it was the only place where I couldn't slip up with my powers. At school, I was never allowed to join any sport clubs encase I accidently showed someone my gift by running as fast as Usain Bolt or hitting the cricket ball so hard it leaves the school grounds. With horses, you just have to hold on and enjoy the ride.

I've been spending a lot more time at the stables in the past couple of months. I feel myself getting angrier and more impatient. I need my soulfinder. Auntie Crystal can find her since she is a soulseeker although I was supposed to wait until I was 17 and mature enough. I'm 18 years old now and still haven't got round to finding her. Firstly I couldn't leave because I was bombarded with exams, then there were a few family issues and then mom got pregnant meaning I couldn't leave just yet.

I know my parents are worried about me. Sometimes I hear them talking when I'm meant to be asleep. They keep pestering me to invite one of my friends round for dinner but I always make up some excuse. The truth is: I haven't got a friend. Not in a sad, lonely kind of way. I choose not to have a friend. I guess the perks of having no friends is that I will never be considered a third-wheel and nobody will ever be able to friend-zone me.

I'm still trying to work out whether that makes me weird or special.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for all the reviews! :D i love reading them all! I haven't had a chance to say thank you individually since i've had work experiance all week but i'll say thank you to everyone now! :D **

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**Alaska's POV**

I made myself boiled eggs and soldiers for dinner since we haven't unpacked any of the kitchen equipment yet. Mom and Tiffany came back a while later, chatting about some attractive waiter or something.

'Alaska, honey! We're home!' Mom yelled.

'I can hear that.' I replied.

'Did you get the shopping?'

'I got some stuff. I didn't have enough money to do a big shop.'

'We had a lovely time! The dinner was delicious! You really missed out on the steak there Ally.' Tiffany exclaimed.

'Well not really since I'm a vegetarian.' I rolled my eyes.

'Whatever. You didn't get much work done since we've been gone. I expected at least a few more boxes to be unpacked since you aren't doing anything.' Mom scolded me. I glowered at her, trying to work out if she was being hypocritical or just plain rude. Probably a mixture of both.

'I got a job.' I said, trying to lighten the conversation.

'Really? Where?' Mom asked, sounding generally surprised.

'The library.'

'God, Ally. You are such a nerd.' Tiffany sighed and sat down on the couch. According to Tiffany, anything that requires an academic use of the brain means that you are a nerd.

'Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.' I replied. 'Bill Gates said that.' I added, just to clarify.

'Well I plan to marry someone as rich as Bill Gates so I won't have to work.' Tiffany pouted.

'How much does it pay?' Mom asked.

'Didn't ask. Must be better than nothing though. We need to pay the bills.' I said since, at the moment, I was the only one in the house with a job. Mom might go and apply for a job later if I bug her enough although mom hates working just as much as Tiffany.

'I want chocolate. Did you buy any?' Tiffany asked, sounding like an infant.

'There's a chocolate cake in the kitchen. It was on offer.' I said, getting up to get some plates and the cake.

I cut mom and Tiff a slice and was just about to cut myself a slice when mom stared at me with disapproval.

'Is that smart Ally? Think how many calories it contains. I don't want an overweight daughter.' She said which is ridiculous since I know I'm not the slightest bit overweight.

'I think her weight is the least of her problems.' Tiffany muttered, staring at my mix-match eyes.

'Be nice to your sister.' Mom warned although it was clear that she wasn't serious. Mom is never serious when she tells Tiffany off.

'I think I might go to bed now.' I sighed.

'Oh don't go all moody, Ally. We're just joking. Anyway, you take after you idiotic father with your looks. It's not like you can help it. Besides, you make up for it in your brains.' Mom said, smiling kindly.

I smiled back weakly. 'I'm just really tired, mom.' I said and made my way upstairs to bed.

The next morning I decided to go down to the library to start working since the bills aren't going to pay themselves.

'Oh hello Alaska. I didn't expect to see you here so soon.'

'I was excited.' I grinned.

'Well, since you're so keen, I can show you around the library.' Phee smiled and showed me the different sections and where different types of books can be found.

'I take it you like the library?' Phee asked.

'A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life.' I replied rhythmically since this was one of my favourite quotes.

'Very wise.' Phee commented

'That's not one of mine. Henry ward Beecher said it.' I laughed.

'You remind me of my eldest son, Matthew. He likes famous quotes.' Phee smiled.

'So how do you like Wickenridge, Ally?' Phee asked.

'It's very nice here.' I smiled.

'Even better in the winter since the ski slopes are open.' She grinned. 'Not that I can jump on skis with a stomach the size of a football.' She laughed.

'What about the school? What's that like?' I asked.

'It's okay I think. There are a few…nasty character, but I guess you get that in every school.' She sighed. 'What grade will you be in?'

'I'm a senior, so I only have one year left.'

'Oh that's good. Matthew's a senior too.'

After my shift at work, I took a walk through the park before heading back home again. The sun was hiding behind a layer of grey clouds, giving the sky a murky appearance. The wind blew my hair so it whipped around my face in a harsh motion, although it felt comforting and refreshing. It was so strong that it even picked the fallen leaves from the ground and carried them through the air, swirling and twirling them around me; it looked almost magical.

Our house was a fairly average looking house, fitting in with the rest of the neighbourhood perfectly. Unsurprisingly, mom and Tiffany hadn't unpacked any further and were watching America's next top model whilst painting their nails.

'How did you job go?' Mom called as I dumped my bag on the couch.

'Good. I really like it there.'

'Do you want me to paint your nails?' Tiffany asked, looking up at me through her long, mascaraed eye lashes.

I hesitated before replying 'why not.' I smiled at her since Tiff and I never spend any time doing sister-like things and it has been that way ever since I could remember.

'This one would match your eyes but so would this one.' Tiffany giggled, holding up the blue and green nail vanish. Now I'm beginning to regret agreeing to this.

'Like I haven't heard that joke before.' I rolled my eyes and turned to walk away my Tiffany grabbed hold of my arm.

'Please don't go. I'm sorry.' She said, looking at me with pleading eyes. I sighed and sat down beside her.

'I'll use both.' Tiffany decided and painted my nails in alternate colours.

'You should get a job down at the nail parlour.' Mom said to Tiffany although we all knew that Tiffany would never want to work, not when mom hands her money anytime she asks.

'Tiffany? Working?' I snorted with laughter and mom and Tiffany joined in with me as we all knew how ridiculous it sounded.

'Yeah, we only need Ally to become a brain-surgeon or something and she can pay for everything for us.' Mom laughed.

'Neurosurgeon.' I corrected and mom and Tiffany looked at me in confusion.

'Doesn't matter.' I shook my head, smiling in amusement.

After my nails were dry, I finished unpacking all the boxes on my own since I knew it would be useless asking mom and Tiffany for help. Even if they did agree, they would spend most of the time moaning or getting distracted. I learnt at a young age that if ever I needed something, it's always easier not to rely on anyone else. Reliability is assurance and belief in yourself or others, yet it is becoming rarer these days.

I set out my notebooks and folders, all ready for school on Monday and then sat back on my bed to finish reading 'Peter Pan.'

'Ally! Are you busy?!' Mom yelled up the stairs in the evening.

'No.' I replied, folding the corner over to mark where I was.

'Could you sort the dinner out?!'

'Sure mom.' I sighed and padded downstairs to see what was in the cupboards. It took 20 minutes but by the end of it, I had made pasta and garlic bread and brought it into the living room where mom and Tiffany were still watching America's next top model.

'Thanks darling.' Mom smiled gratefully. Tiffany was less polite and simple took her dinner without even bothering to look in my direction; she was too busy telling mom how she wish she was as skinny as the girls on screen.

'You're welcome.' I sighed mockingly and went back to the kitchen to eat my dinner alone. That's the thing about being alone; part of you values the solitude you have been given, yet the other half screams for companionship.

'It is better to be alone than in bad company.' I quoted out loud to no one in particular.


	4. Chapter 4

**Again, thanks so much for all the reviews! Here is the next chapter, i hope you like it and please leave a review :D**

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**Matthew's POV**

'Wake up Mattie! Wake up!' Screamed Polly at the top of her lungs. Polly was the youngest of the Benedict household so far, aged only 3.

'I swear you have some kind of sonic scream.' I muttered, rolling out of bed to look in the mirror. The bruise on my cheekbone had gone down a lot with the magic of frozen peas, there was still a little cut on my lip from where Walker had hit me.

Sadie and Elliot, aged 5 and 8, were sitting at the breakfast table, arguing over who should get the last of the cereal. Benjamin, aged 12, swooped down to pluck the cereal out of Sadie and Elliot's grasp and used it to pour his own bowel.

'That's not fair Ben!' Sadie yelled.

'We had it first!' Elliot added.

'You snooze, you lose.' Replied Ben, sounding unbothered.

Toby sat on the kitchen work-surface, drinking orange juice from the carton.

'Any left for me?' I asked, walking over.

Toby handed me the rest of the carton which I gulped down quickly.

'You know, if you bothered to look in the cupboard, you would realise that we do actually have glasses which you can drink from.' Mom said drily.

'It saves washing up.' I grinned.

'Such civilized children I brought up.' Mom rolled her eyes.

'Are you okay going to school, Matt?' Dad asked, looking up from the newspaper.

'Dad, its fine.' I rolled my eyes. Dad sent Toby a meaningful look which probably meant 'look out for your brother' although I chose to ignore it.

'Oh my God! Look at the time!' Mom exclaimed. 'Quick, stuff some toast down your throats and get ready! You're late!'

In the end, I had to drive the kids to middle-school and Elementary as they were eating their breakfast in the back of the car.

'If you get breakfast on the car seat, you will be walking home tonight.' I threated although we all knew I wasn't serious.

'Bye Matt!' They laughed, getting out of the car.

'If that boy hits you again, just hit him back. Uncle Xav will fix him at the hospital.' Elliot grinned.

The morning dragged slowly, what with Mrs Homan's desperate attempts to control the class and Walker shooting daggers at me from the back of the classroom. I was grateful for lunch to come around, just to get away from all of that.

As I walked from one school block to another, I notice a crowd of people huddling around a corner of the playground, with their phones out, videoing something. Even if the world was about to be destroyed by a meteor, the people of this generation will undoubtedly get their phones out to take pictures of it. Technology will build us as a society but will destroy us just as easily.

As I got closer, I could see that it was Walker, fighting another boy who was almost half his size. The boy who was getting beaten up was a boy in my physics class…Owen maybe? He wasn't the kind of guy who sticks up for himself often. I knew I shouldn't intervene, especially since I'm not allowed to fight back but I couldn't stand there and watch this poor kid get beaten up. Without really thinking things through, I find myself walking towards the crowed.

'Hey look! It's Matthew Benedict!' Walker exclaimed as I got nearer. 'Coming to save the day?' He mocked.

'Leave him alone Walker. What did he do to you?' I said, looking at Owen who was holding his bloody nose.

'Owen made out that I was stupid.' Walker replied.

'Some would claim that that was a fair insinuation.' I shrugged. I take after my mom with the fact that I can never keep my mouth shut.

'What was that, Benedict?!' Walker exclaimed, shoving me up against the wall by my collar. Owen must have seen his chance and escaped, heading to the main block. Coward.

'Don't you know what insinuation means, Walker?' I couldn't help but grin, raising my eyebrows at him.

The punch was quick, splitting open my lip at the side. To be fair, I did bring that one upon myself. However, Walker didn't stop then and carried on attacking me. At one point, I stopped him from punching me in the face by catching his fist in the palm of my hand. It wasn't until I saw pain flash across his face when I realised I was crushing he bones in his hand so I let go quickly. I didn't even mean to hurt him, he just made me angry.

'Head-teacher!' Someone from the crowd shouted and everyone scampered. Walker shoved me to the ground and kicked me in the stomach before running off after his mates. The head-teacher walked past, without even glancing in my direction, despite the fact that I was bleeding and bruised.

'I should really stop trying to be a hero.' I muttered to myself, prodding my face to see where I was hurt.

A girl was walking towards me. She had long silvery-blonde straight hair which hid half of her face. She wore casual skinny jeans, beaten-up converses and a dark blue hoodie which looked a little big for her.

As she got closer, she extended a delicate hand, with blue and green painted nails, to help me up.

'Thanks.' I said sheepishly as she pulled me up from the ground and sat me down on a bench.

'You're welcome.' She smiled and fumbled around inside her bag, pulling out a small first aid kit.

'Really I'm fine.' I object although she raised her eyebrow in a manner which said 'oh really?'

She tucked a silvery stand of hair behind her ear, revealing an angel-like face with golden freckles scattered over her nose and cheeks, contrasting with the ivory complexion of her skin. What stuck out the most where her eyes. One was a deep, emerald green and the other was a light, sky blue colour. Both of them were framed with long, dark eyelashes.

'You're eyes-' I started to say although she looked away.

'I know, they're freaky.' She sighed.

'I was actually going to say awesome.' I grinned.

'No one's ever said that before.' She smiled.

'Only awesome people can spot awesome things.' I chuckled.

'I'm Alaska, although most people call me Ally.' She smiled shyly.

'That's an awesome name, Alaska. I'm Matthew but call me Matt.' I said holding out my hand for her to shake in a formal manner.

Alaska got out an anti-septic wipe and started dabbing at the cut on my lip and on the side of my head. Her tiny pink tongue poked out from her lips with the concentration.

'You're going to tell me that the other guy looked worse?' She asked.

'If I said that, I would be lying.'

'So what happened?'

'This boy…I think he was called Owen…was getting beaten up so I decided to play the hero although I'm not sure if it was one of my best idea.' I said, wincing slightly at the burning sensation of the anti-septic wipe.

'So you were more of a martyr?' She grinned.

'I didn't fight back. I didn't want to hurt him.' I sighed.

'No good deed goes unpunished.'

'You're new here right?' I asked.

'First day.' She smiled nervously.

'School isn't always as bad as this; only if you stay out of Walker's way.' I replied.

'Can we be friends?' Ally asked suddenly.

'Yeah. We can be friends.' I smiled in agreement.

'So then, friend, where do all the awesome people hang out at lunch time?' Ally grinned at me.

'I know the perfect place.' I grinned in reply.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks so much for all the reviews! :D Here is the next chapter :)**

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**Alaska's POV**

Find a job? Tick.

Unpack the house? Tick.

Make a friend? Tick.

So far, so good. Matthew seemed like a nice guy; he was funny, attractive, brave and smart and I would be lying if I said that I didn't have a crush on him. He was tall, almost a head taller than me, with tanned skin and long, dark, curly hair. He has nice, kind eyes which were almost a grey colour.

As we walked through the labyrinth of corridors, I saw my sister standing by the lockers, talking to some girls in her grade and re-applying her make-up.

'Hey Tiff.' I smiled as we approached her.

'What did I say about talking to me at school?' She scowled at me, pouting her rouged lips.

'Sorry. I just wanted to ask how your first day was going.'

'Great. Actually, my new friends and I are going shopping after school. Retail therapy.' She grinned.

'That sounds…fun.'

'I need some money.' She said bluntly.

'Couldn't you ask mom?'

'Mom's not here is she, stupid?' Tiffany rolled her eyes.

'How much do you need?' I asked, getting out my purse.

'Just give me all you got. I'll ask mom to pay you back later.' Tiffany held out her hand impatiently and I handed her the money.

Tiffany's savant gift was persuasion so she was used to getting what she wanted. However, my savant gift was to block other savant gifts, meaning that her power is futile against me. Yet, I still handed over the money because that's what family are for…and also because it seemed like the easiest option at the time.

'Well…aren't you going to introduce me?' She nudged me, smiling flirtatiously at Matt.

'Tiffany, this is my friend Matthew, Matthew, this is my sister Tiffany.'

'Half-sister. Ally's dad was a jerk.' Tiffany said.

'It's nice to meet you Tiffany.' Matt said politely.

'Well I'll see you at home, Ally. Maybe I'll see you soon, Matt?' Tiffany asked, sounding hopeful.

'Your sister seems….nice.' Matt said as we walked away.

'My mom spoils her rotten. That's why she acts like a brat.' I explained.

'Don't you get spoiled too?'

'My mom doesn't like me very much.' I laughed although there was truth behind what I said.

'So where is the awesome place?' I asked.

'The library. If you pretend the school is a zoo, the students are like the animals that have just been let out of their cages- it's a good idea to avoid them at all costs. The library is like the tranquil butterfly enclosure. The butterflies are the books.' He explained.

'I like butterflies.' I smiled.

'I like butterflies too, especially ones with superheroes in them.' He replied.

'Do you prefer Marvel comics of DC?'

'That's a tough question. It's like asking who would win in a fight with batman against Captain America.'

'Captain America, definitely Captain America.' I laughed.

'Maybe. Yeah…I guess I would have to say marvel comics then.' He agreed.

The library wasn't completely silent although it wasn't noisy either. On one side of the room there was shelf after shelf, full of books. On the other side there were rows of tables where some people sat with books laid out in front of them.

Matt led me over to the table and pulled out my seat for me in an old-fashioned but gentlemanly gesture.

'So, Ally, does this place exceed the awesomeness as I made out.' He joked.

'Very awesome. I like libraries a lot. In fact, I got a job in the library the other day.'

'Oh so you're the girl my mom was talking about.' He nodded.

'Your mom's Phoenix Benedict?' I asked in surprise.

'Yup. My dad's Yves Benedict. I have 6 younger Benedict siblings. There are quite a few of us Benedicts, we plan to take over the world.' He grinned.

'Well you've met my delightful sister Tiffany. My mom shares the same looks as Tiffany: the tanned skin and dark wavy hair. As Tiffany said earlier, my dad was a jerk.' I replied.

'What jerky things did he do?'

'Mom said that he got drunk a lot and used to hit us. That's why my mom ran away with me. Then she met Darren, Tiffany's dad. He was alright I guess. He didn't like me very much since I wasn't his family. He died a couple of years ago.' I said, not mentioning that Darren was in fact my mother's soulfinder.

'I'm sorry to hear that. Did you keep your father's surname?' He asked out of interest.

'Yes. Alaska Kosowski. My father's Polish.'

'Is there any reason why you're called Alaska?'

'That's where I was born. My parents evidently weren't very imaginative.' I chuckled.

'That's very interesting.' He gave me a friendly smile.

'What about you? Anything interesting to tell me?'

'My parents met because my mom tried to nick my dad's stuff in London.' He grinned.

'That's…strangely romantic.' I laughed.

'My dad's pretty smart. All the cool companies like Apple and stuff hire him to help with their products. It's cool because he gets free stuff like games and phones.' Matt grinned.

'You are so lucky!'

'Yeah. He just got given the new x-box game 'Survival: Apocalypse.'

'No way! That's not even out on the shelves yet!' I exclaimed.

'You like gaming?' He asked in surprise.

'I'm more than a little bit nerdy.' I smiled shyly.

'I don't find it nerdy at all. In fact, I find it quite-'

'-Awesome?' I finished off his sentence and Matt laughed.

A little while later, a boy who looked similar to Matt came into the library and sat on the table we were sitting at.

'Ouch. Did you get into another fight?' He asked, looking at Matts bruises.

'I stood up to bullying.' Matt grinned. 'This is my friend Alaska.'

'It's lovely to meet you Alaska. I'm Toby, Matt's cooler and more attractive brother.' Toby said, smiling at me.

'Certainly the more modest brother.' I grinned and Matt and Toby laughed.

'So…was it Walker again?' Toby asked.

'Yeah. It's fine though Toby. I really don't need you to be my body-guard.' Matt rolled his eyes.

'Okay okay. I was just checking you were okay.' Toby held up his hands. 'I'm going to go now, I'm scared that if I spend any longer around all these books, I might accidently turn into a nerd.' He laughed. 'Plus, it would serious ruin my reputation if one of my mates saw me in here.' He grinned at me and walked out.

'My brother Toby is quite the charmer, isn't he?' Matt laughed.

'You seem close though, that must be nice.' I commented.

'Are you familiar with the game chess?' Matt asked pointing to the chess board at the end of the table.

'I'm alright.'

'I challenge you to a game then.'

'If I win?'

'You get to come round my house for dinner.'

'And if you win?'

'You can still come round my house for dinner.' He smiled.

'Okay then. Game on.'


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm sorry for not uploading as frequently as normal, I've been rushed of my feet since I got a job haha :D anyway, i hope you like it, don't forget to review! Thanks for all the reviews so far! :D **

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**Alaska's POV**

I had always thought I was pretty good at chess but Matthew beat me in just under 10 moves.

'Are you sure you want to move your queen there?' He said, raising his eyebrows.

'By the tone of your voice, I'm assuming that it's not a good idea.'

Matthew grinned. 'Check mate.'

I studied the board for a while before sighing and tipping over my king.

'Congratulations.' I grinned.

'I'm not always that good. I think it was mainly luck the way the game played out.' He said modestly.

'Chess is a meritocracy.' I told him.

'You weren't bad. Anyway, as the loser, you get to come round my house.' He smiled.

'I'll look forward to it. What do we have for dinner?' I asked with excitement.

'Not sure. I can check if you like?'

'It's okay. It's just that I'm a vegetarian.' I replied.

'That's okay. Mom's a vegetarian too.'

'What subject to you have last lesson?' Matt asked me.

'Umm.' I reached into my pocket to find my timetable I had been given. 'History with Mr Kirk.'

'Me too.' He beamed. 'Mr Kirk is alright. He's a little bit arrogant though. He wrote a book on the Tudors which has just been published and he doesn't go a lesson without talking about it.'

'When does Lunch finish?' I asked.

'Crap…in about 5 minutes.' Matt frowned.

'Whoops. We probably should get going.' I smiled.

I sat next to Matt in History, and as I suspected, he was exceptionally clever. In class he wore small, rimless glasses which just added to his genius complexion. He didn't display his intellect like others in the class but the answers were in his head and that was all that counted.

After History, I texted mom to tell her that I wasn't going to be home for dinner since I was going round a friend's house and she replied with: 'Don't expect me to come and pick you up.' I hope that Matt's house wasn't too far away from mine.

I didn't know much about cars but Matt's car was nice. It looked very expensive and was probably newly brought as well.

'I hope you don't mind but I have to pick up my younger siblings from middle-school and Elementary first.' Matt said, getting into the driver's seat and I got into the passenger seat.

'That's okay. I'd like to meet them.' I smiled.

'Ben goes to middle school and then we have to pick up Sadie and Elliot from Elementary.'

Matt pulled up on the corner of Middle-school and a boy who look about 12 got in. He had the same dark curly hair as Matt but it was a little bit shorter.

'Who's your girlfriend Matthew?' He asked, getting in the back.

'This is Alaska. She's my friend from school.' Matt rolled his eyes.

'Hey, you must be Ben?' I asked, turning round.

'Yeah. Cool eyes.' He said.

'Um…thanks.' I laughed.

'How was school?' Matt asked Ben as he drove to the next destination.

'Boring.' Ben muttered.

A young girl and boy were sitting on a bench outside the Elementary school, looking as though they were arguing. They were, presumably, Sadie and Elliot.

'Matt! Elliot told me that I was adopted!' Sadie said, getting in the car with Elliot.

'You're not adopted Sadie. If mom and dad did decide to adopt anyone, they would choose someone a lot quieter than you.' Matt teased.

'Who's that girl?' Elliot asked.

'I'm Alaska, Matt's friend.' I smiled.

'Why are you named after a state?'

'Why are you coming home with us?'

'Why do you have different eyes?'

'Can you shoot lasers with your eyes?' Sadie and Elliot took it in turns firing questions at me.

'Umm…I don't think I can shoot lasers.' I laughed, giving Matt an odd look.

'They watch far too much TV.' Matt explained.

'Did that boy hit you again?' Ben asked.

'Yes but it's okay because Alaska fixed me up.' Matt smiled at me.

'I told you that you should've hit him back.'

'I don't want to hurt anyone. Plus, I think I might have accidentally broken his hand.'

'That's great!' Ben laughed.

'Not great. Don't go around breaking people's hands, kids.' Matt muttered.

'You could always tell his mommy and daddy that he hurt you.' Sadie said innocently.

'Yeah, next time I'll do that Sadie.' Matt smirked at me.

Matt lived in a large house towards to outskirts of town. It looked like one of the houses you saw in magazines. The lawn was fresh and green and trimmed to perfection. The flowers were arranged neatly around the grass.

'Matt! Elliot pulled my hair!' Sadie complained as we got out the car.

'Elliot!' Matt warned.

'She hit me first!' Elliot objected.

'Children.' Matt sighed and opened the front door.

'Hello!' Elliot shouted.

'Hey there. Oh hey Alaska. Nice to see you again.' Toby smiled, coming into the hallway.

'You too, Toby.' I Replied.

Sadie and Elliot ran into the living room, arguing over whos turn it was to choose the TV program.

'There are 5 TV's in this house, yet you are arguing over this one.' Ben rolled his eyes and plucked the remote out of Sadie and Elliot's hands, using it to put his own program on, causing more squabbling from the three of them.

'Are mom and dad home yet?' Matt asked Toby.

'Not yet. I think they've gone food shopping.'

'Okay.' Matt replied. 'I'll show you around.' Matt said to me, taking me upstairs.

'That's Sadie and Polly's room.' Matt said pointing to a very pink and sparkly room. 'You haven't met Polly yet, she's the youngest so she's at pre-school.'

'Then there's my parents room.' Matt pointed at a very modern, stylish looking room.

'…bathroom, Ben and Elliot's room.' Matt said, opening the door to a space themed room.

'I would show you Toby's room but you can't even open the door with all the mess on the floor, and finally my room.' Matt said, opening the last door on the hallway.

Matt's room was fairly tidy with only a few x-box games and books lying on the floor. He had a large double bed in the centre of the room with a huge plasma TV on the wall at the end of his bed. Underneath the TV was a wide range of game consoles: X-box, PlayStation, Nintendo… On one side of the TV there was a bookshelf filled with games and DVD's and on the other side, there was a book-shelf full of books. He had a small desk in the corner with a large stack of old superhero comic books. He had ripped out some of his favourite comic strips and blue-tacked them to his wall.

'Like it?' He asked.

'I love it! I wish I had a bedroom like yours!' I exclaimed.

'And this…this is my current prise possession.' He said holding up 'Survival: Apocalypse.'

'Have you played it yet?' I asked, staring at the game as though it held all the secrets of the world.

'Only about 100 times.' Matt chuckled.

'What are the levels like? Does Blaze have any companions this time?' I asked. Blaze was the main character of the 'Survival' game series. Back in 'Survival: Invasion', the first game, Blaze had a fair maiden named Luna as a companion but she died tragically in the second game.

'Yes. In level 3 he saves a girl called Galaxy from a cave.' Matt replied, grinning at how enthusiastic I was. 'Do you want to play?'

'Do you even need to ask me?' I laughed as he handed me a game controller and got one for himself.

'Game on?' He asked.

'Game on.' I confirmed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed/ favourite/ followed and even read the last chapters :) Here is the next chapter, please review! :)**

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**Matthew's POV**

I was so surprised at how much Ally and I have in common. We were both sitting cross-legged on the end of my bed, our eyes hypnotised by the game on the TV screen. Ally was surprisingly extremely good at the game, considering that she'd never played it before. I played Blaze's character and she played Galaxy.

'We could try the police department for weapons?' She suggested as we took cover behind an overturned vehicle.

'I tried that earlier, the other survivors already raided it.' I replied, scanning the area for zombies.

'Quick! Behind you!' Ally exclaimed as a Zombie carrying an axe stumble towards us. Ally picked up the only weapon we had, a fallen tree branch, and decapitated the zombie.

'Great going.' I laughed as we ran to abandoned school.

'What is our accomplishment for this level again?' She asked.

'To stay alive for a whole night. We need to find shelter.' I replied. Suddenly, a zombie jumped out from the wall behind Galaxy, making both of us jump. I made Blaze move in front of Galaxy so the zombie would kill me instead. The words 'game over' appeared in red writing on the screen.

'You sacrificed your own life to save me.' Alaska smiled.

'That's what friends are for.' I laughed.

My bedroom door opened and my dad walked in.

'Oh hello. I didn't realise we had guests.' He said, smiling at Alaska although clearly surprised.

'This is my friend Alaska. Is it okay if she has dinner with us?' I asked.

'_Is she a savant?' _Dad asked telepathically.

_'No, I just met her at school.'_

'We would love to have you for dinner. It's nice to meet you Alaska, call me Yves. I hope Matt's not boring you with his x-box.'

'Oh that's quite alright. I like gaming.' She smiled.

'Ahh, you're another one of _those _teenagers.' Dad rolled his eyes, smiling. 'Is that another bruise on your face, Matt?' He frowned.

'What can I say? I'm a martyr, I stood up to bullying.' I shrugged.

'Wasn't Toby there?'

'Dad! I told you I don't need looking after.' I groaned in embarrassment.

Dad held up his hands in surrender. 'Sorry, I'm just worried about you.'

'Don't be, I'm fine. And tell mum not to worry too.' I rolled my eyes.

'Okay, son.' My dad nodded.

'Also, what's for dinner?' I grinned.

'Pasta. Is that okay with you, Alaska?'

'Pasta's great.' Ally smiled.

Dad walked back downstairs and we started up the game again.

'You dad's nice.' Ally said.

'Yeah, I'm lucky to have him.' I nodded in agreement.

'Thanks for being my friend Matthew.' She smiled.

'It's my pleasure. I've always wanted a friend like you.'

'Don't you have any other friends?'

'No-one at school qualifies to be my friend.' I grinned.

'What about me, do I pass?'

'With flying colours.'

A while later, mom called up the stairs to tell us that dinner was ready. Everyone was already in the kitchen and mom and dad were trying to order everyone.

'Toby can you cut the garlic bread up? Ben, get the knives and forks. Sadie and Elliot get the plates, Matthew get the drinks and Alaska, could you get the place mats? There in the furthest draw on the left.' Phee said. Polly went and sat down at the table, quietly singing a nursery rhyme to herself.

'So Alaska. You've just moved to Wickenridge?' Dad asked Ally once we had all sat down.

'You can call me Ally.' Alaska smiled. 'Yes, we arrived here on Friday. It's a lovely place.'

'Yeah I've lived here my whole life.' Dad nodded in agreement.

'How was everyone's day? Shall we go around the table?' Mom asked brightly.

'I'll start.' Said Toby, skipping out Polly since she was too young. 'I got full marks on the pop quiz.'

'Oh well done! See, I told you that you'll do well.' Mom smiled proudly.

Toby bit his lip 'I also got a detention but the important thing is that I got full marks.' He said happily as mom and dad stared at him.

'You got another detention?! What for?!' Mom exclaimed.

'Texting in class. Actually, I was replying to _your_ message.' Toby replied.

'My go!' Sadie yelled. 'I got a gold star for good behaviour.' Sadie beamed.

'See, you should take a leaf out of Sadie's book.' I said to Toby.

'I scored a goal in sports.' Elliot added.

'I fell asleep watching some boring documentary in science.' Ben said.

'Matt? Alaska?'

'I beat Ally at Chess.' I said, shrugging my shoulders and leaving out the part with Walker.

'I got lost around the school. Twice. But I made a friend so that's okay.' Ally said, smiling at me.

'What about your day, sweetheart?' Dad asked my mom.

'Same old. The baby was kicking all day long. They're going to be a proper soccer player.' Mom laughed. 'What about you?'

'Eh, not much.' Dad sighed. 'We're developing the new iPhone at the moment but I haven't quite got it to work yet. Do you have any siblings Alaska?'

'I have a half-sister, Tiffany. She's 16.'

'Did you move here with your parents?'

'My mom. She doesn't like to stay in one place too long.' Ally explained, tucking a long strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

'Is there any pudding?' Elliot asked as soon as we had finished dinner.

'Check the freezer, there might be some ice-cream.'

'Ice-cream! Ice-cream!' Polly shrieked with joy.

'Chocolate, Vanilla or strawberry?' Toby said, getting the ice-cream out. All of the children shouted their favourite flavour.

'Hey, Alaska's first. She's the guest.' Toby objected.

'Oh, vanilla please.' Ally smiled.

'And me.' I added. Vanilla was my favourite flavour although Toby always teases me because he calls it the 'boring flavour.'

After ice-cream Ally said that she should probably be getting home. I was surprised that she actually thought she would have to walk home. When I offered to give her a lift, she treated it as though I would be driving her across state or something.

'Are you sure that's okay?' She asked for what was about the 7th time as we got into my car.

'Ally, it's fine. Has no one ever done a favour for you?'

'Not really. I'm used to doing things by myself.' She shrugged, making me curious although I didn't want to ask more encase I came across as nosy.

'Thanks so much for everything Matt.' Ally smiled as I pulled up outside her house.

'No, thank you.'

'I'll see you tomorrow at school? She asked eagerly.

'I'll be there.' I nodded and waved as she walked to the front door. Tiffany opened the door to let Ally in and waved back at me.

Once I got back home again, I sat and watched TV with mom, dad and Toby while the rest of the kids played upstairs.

'Ally seems nice.' Dad commented.

'She is nice.'

'You two seem to get on well.'

'Why do you sound so surprised? I do know how to interact with other human beings, you know.' I rolled my eyes.

'It's just that you've never brought a friend round.' Mom explained.

'Matt's too high and mighty to be friends with anyone.' Toby laughed.

'Ally's different. I want to be friends with her. Not like any of the other idiots in my class.' I replied.

'That's good. I'm glad you've got Alaska.' Dad nodded.

_'Me too.' _ I thought to myself.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for the reviews! Here is the next chapter, please tell me what you think :D**

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**Alaska's POV**

School was much more enjoyable with Matt as an incentive. It had been two weeks since I had first met him and I can honestly say that we were the best of friends. We spent most of our free time at lunch times playing chess or sorting out the world problems. We were pretty well matched at chess; sometimes I would win and sometimes Matt would win. Another thing I liked about Matt was that he wasn't just academically smart; he had a clever way and outlook on life. I keep teasing him that he could one day become a wise philosopher.

One lunchtime, we were walking down the corridor on our way to the library when he said: 'Hey Ally, are you free after school? I want to show you something.' I didn't have work that day so I immediately agreed.

'I'd love that. What do you want to show me? Something awesome?'

'Very awesome.' He confirmed.

'Okay then. Let me just tell Tiffany that I'll be late home.' I said, walking over to my sister who was pouting in a mirror.

'Hey Tiff.' I smiled.

'Hey loser. Hey Matthew.' She replied, fluttering her eyelashes at Matt.

'I'm going out with Matt afterschool so I'll be home later.'

'Where are you going?'

'Somewhere awesome.' I grinned.

'Where?!' Tiffany whined.

'I don't know yet. Does it really matter?'

'I guess not. I'll see you later Matt?' She grinned flirtatiously, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

'Bye Tiff.' Matt smiled.

'I think my sister has a crush on you.' I said once we got to the library. Honestly, I was a little jealous. I didn't want Matt to like Tiffany since I wanted him all to myself. Anyway, Tiffany is far prettier than me with soft brown curls and warm brown eyes. I wouldn't stand a chance.

'A crush on me? Wow…that's a first.' Matt said, a little taken aback.

'Why do you sound so surprised?'

'No one's ever had crush on me.' He laughed which is ridiculous because Matt is ridiculously hot. 'It's probably because she hasn't got to know my dorky personality yet.' Matt laughed.

'Us dorks need to stick together.' I agreed.

'Does she even watch star wars?' Matt laughed.

'I think she would rather stick a needle in her eye.' I chuckled in agreement.

After school, Matt and I picked up his siblings from their schools and dropped them off back at home again.

'Mom! Dad! Are you home?!' Matt shouted, coming inside.

'No need to shout, we're only in the kitchen.' Phee replied.

'Ally and I are going out.'

'Oh, sure honey. Does Ally want to stay for dinner?'

'If that's okay with you.' I smiled politely. Over the two weeks I had known Matt, I had spent a lot of my time around his house and around his family. I felt a little guilty since I never invite Matt back to my house since I don't want him to meet my mother. It sounds stupid, but I was ashamed of her and Tiffany. Matt's parents were so smart and kind where else my mom just orders me about and doesn't treat me like her daughter.

'Oh course that's okay, honey.' Yves smiled.

Matt drove me up to what looks like a horse stable.

'Do you have a horse?' I asked in surprise.

'Kind of. I don't own him but his owner lets me look after him.'

Matt led me to the stables where there stood a chestnut brown horse with a white stripe down its nose.

'Ally, meet Spiderman, Spiderman meet Ally.' Matt grinned.

'Spiderman. That is an awesome name.' I laughed, stroking Spiderman.

'If you like, you can ride him?' Matt asked.

'Really?! I'd love to! I've never ridden a horse before.' I exclaimed.

'Well I think you're going to like this.' Matt grinned and led me and Spiderman to the field outside.

'Okay, now for the tricky part…getting on.' Matt said once we were outside.

'I can't get my leg up that high! He's a giant!' I exclaimed.

'Step up on the fence and then climb on. It's okay, I'm holding onto Spiderman so he's not going to run off.'

It took a good few tries before I finally managed to get on the horse and I was clinging onto the reins for dear life.

'You okay up there?' Matt grinned, climbing on behind me. He moved up close so I could feel his chest pressed against my back. His strong arms wrapped around me, taking hold of the reins. It felt good.

'You better hold on tight.' He whispered quietly in my ear before the horse started slowly moving forward. Spiderman then picked up then gradually picked up the speed until we were galloping.

'Tell me what you're thinking.' Matt shouted, over then noise of the hooves hitting the ground.

'I feel like….It feels like we're flying! It's as though Spiderman is galloping on the clouds!' I shouted back. My long hair flew behind me as the wind rushed over my head.

'I know.' Matt agreed.

'I feel….alive!' I exclaimed.

'Hold on tight.' He muttered before gripping hold of me tightly. We were running, full pelt, towards the wooden fence, separating the two fields.

'We're going to crash!' I screamed, but as the words left my mouth, Spiderman leaped into the air, clearing the wooden fence.

'We were really flying for a second then.' Matt laughed.

'That was…so…totally…' I struggled to put my thoughts into words but Matt supplies me with the only word that fits.

'Awesome?' He chuckled.

After a few more rounds of the field, we slow down near the stables so we could get off. Matt jumped of the horse and waited for me expectantly.

'I can't jump off this high! It's okay for you; you have longer legs so you reach the ground quicker.' I complained.

'Jump, I'll catch you.' Matt said.

'I'm scared of falling.'

'I will catch you.' Matt repeated, more confidently.

So I did, and he kept his word and caught me.

'Thanks. That was…exhilarating.' I breathe.

'It was my pleasure.' He said quietly, staring at my lips. He moved in closer so we were only inches away from one another. I thought he was going to kiss me but then he looked at his watch.

'Whoops, we should get going. We're going to miss dinner.' He chuckled, leaving me somewhat disappointed.

'There you are! We're just about to serve up!' Phee exclaimed as we walked through the front door to Matt's house.

'Sorry, we lost track of time.' Matt replied.

'What could you two possibly be doing?' Toby mused to himself, smiling knowingly.

'Matt taught me to ride a horse.' I said, my cheeks were still pink from being outside and my eyes were shinning with the memory of flying. Polly started neighing frantically with the mention of horses.

'Oh that's nice.' Phee said, serving up the pizzas.

'Yeah, it was.' Matt agreed somewhat lustfully.

After dinner, Matt drove me back to my house, as normal.

'Thanks Matt. I had a really nice time today.' I smiled at him.

'Me too, Ally.' He smiled back although he looked a little distant, although he wasn't fully there.

'I'll see you at school on Monday?'

'Yup. See you Monday.' He replied, looking a little frustrated for some reason.

'Hello! I'm home.' I called out once I got through the door.

_'Don't shout! Mom's taking a nap!'_ Tiffany called out telepathically.

I walked upstairs to dump my bag in my room although Tiff was waiting outside my bedroom.

'How was your date with Matt?' She said.

'It wasn't a date. He took me to the stables to ride his horse. It was really amazing.' I smiled, reminiscing flying on horseback.

'I claimed him first, you know. You're not allowed to date him.' Tiffany scowled at me, looking down since I'm a little bit smaller than her.

'Tiff, he's not just a piece of meat. Plus, he's not even a savant.' I rolled my eyes.

'You like him, don't you?' She accused.

'Well yes, obviously. We're friends.'

'Good because I'm going to ask him to go out with me.'

'Tiff, do you really like him? He isn't your type. He likes playing chess and video games and comic books…all the things that you accuse me of being a nerd.' I replied.

'He's hot Alaska. You can't take him away from me, don't be such a bitch.' She huffed.

'Me? A bitch?' I raised my eyebrows. 'All I'm saying is, maybe you should go for someone with the same interests as you.'

'You think he's too smart for me, don't you?!'

'This is stupid.' I groaned.

'Don't you?!' Tiffany said, working herself up. She gently pushed me backwards although I wasn't expecting it and lost my balance, falling backwards down the stairs. Each step felt like a punch and, causing tears to well up in my eyes like an over-flowing bath.

I heard Tiffany curse from the top of the stairs as I struggled to stay conscious.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks so much for all the reviews! I really enjoyed reading them :) Here is the next chapter although it is only short :)**

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**Matthew's POV**

Why didn't I kiss her? She was beautiful and only inches away from me. I could have kissed her, but I didn't. I wanted to kiss her, ever since I met her really, but these thoughts only started becoming apparent when I took her to the stables. Alaska was perfect for me and I couldn't understand why she wasn't made for me. 'Damn it Matthew. You have a soulfinder out there.' I muttered to myself, driving back home after dropping Alaska off at her house.

When I arrived back home again, I saw that dad was sitting in the living room on his own, reading a book. I walked into the living room and collapsed onto the couch, groaning out loud.

'Everything okay, son?' Dad asked, looking up from his book.

'No.' I exhaled. 'Can I talk to you?'

'Of course. What did you want to speak with me about?'

'Ally'. I sighed.

'Ah, young Ally. What about Ally?' Dad smiled.

'I think…I think I'm in love with her.' I said distantly.

'I thought so.'

'How?' I asked in surprise.

'The way you look at her, it's the same way I look at your mother.'

'What am I going to do dad?' I groaned into a cushion.

'You could tell her. She might feel the same way about you. You don't know.' He said kindly.

'But what if she doesn't, and then it ruins our friendship. She's my best friend dad, the only friend I've ever had. I don't want to lose that.'

'You don't know that you will lose it. It might strengthen your friendship.'

'But I don't think she feels the same way about me. I think I may have accidently friend-zoned her.' I smiled weakly.

'She looks at you in the same way. I've noticed.' My dad commented.

'Okay, say…if I did tell her how I feel, and she feels the same way about me, what do I do about my soulfinder?' I asked.

'That's up to you, Matt. Uncle Xav and Aunty Crystal are in town. You could always go up to see Aunty Crystal and she'll tell you where to go.'

'I can't go yet. Not when the baby's so close to being born.' I sighed.

'I'm sure you mom won't mind If it's bugging you that much.'

'I don't really want to go and find her, dad. I don't think I could feel about someone the same way I feel about Ally. I don't want to love anyone else. I want to love Ally.'

'Matt, maybe you won't be saying this once you meet your soulfinder. I've told you so many times what it's like. Phee, she's the perfect match for me. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather spend my life with.'

'That's the thing. Ally is perfect for me. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. In a perfect world, Ally would be my soulfinder. For once, I feel completely happy. My power doesn't even get out of control anymore. She's not even a savant though. Even if I do spend the rest of my life with her, she's going to get a bit suspicious when our kids start moving food across thin air.' I said, chuckling at the image.

'The way I see it is that you have two choices: You could never go in search for your soulfinder, spend the rest of your life with Ally but never be fully satisfied knowing that there is greener grass on the other side. Or you could look for your soulfinder and live with the possibility that a life with your soulfinder wouldn't be as good as a life with Alaska.'

'I don't know dad.' I sighed.

'Well only you can make that decision. Aunty Crystal is here if you wanted to talk to her about it.'

'Yeah, okay. Thanks dad.' I smiled.

I decided to go let off some steam playing 'Survival: Apocalypse' but it wasn't quite the same without Ally beside me, the two of us fending off zombie's together. Surviving together.

Feeling slightly lonely without Ally, I got out my phone to texted her.

**'Blaze is not as good at kicking dead zombie ass without the help of his skilful and talented assistant, Galaxy. Need help on level 7.' **

I sat there watching my phone like some crazed stalker for about 10 minutes, waiting for her to reply but she didn't which was strange because Ally always replies straight away.

At first I start to think whether I'd said or done something to upset her or somehow to caused her to ignore me. I don't think I did. Maybe I was a little distracted as she left the car but that was only because I was debating kissing her. Then I started worrying about her. Horrible scenarios played through my mind with all the reasons why she couldn't text back so I decided to ring her, just to make sure. She didn't pick up, not even the fourth time I rang her.

'Matt, you okay man? You've been sitting by your phone for about an hour now.' Toby said, frowning and coming into my room.

'Ally's not picking up the phone. I'm worried.' I replied.

'She's probably just sleeping. Or ignoring you. Did you say anything to her on the way home?'

'Don't think so.' I groaned.

'You like her, don't you?' He smiled, sitting down at the end of my bed.

'Did you hear me talking to dad?'

'Nope. I can read you like an open book.' Toby grinned. 'She's a nice girl.'

'Yeah she is. What if she's hurt?'

'She's probably asleep. Look, it's half nine.' Toby pointed out.

'I guess…..'

'You should probably sleep too, Matt.'

'Yeah.' I agreed. 'Night Toby'

'See you in the morning.'


	10. Chapter 10

**Wow, Thank's so much for all the reviews! It's really encouraging to know that you guys like it! :D Here is the next chapter, please leave a review! :)**

* * *

**Alaska's POV**

Tiffany swore from the top of the stairs.

'What was that?!' Mom yelled from the living room.

'Mom! I swear I didn't mean to. It was an accident!' Tiffany said in a panic, running down the stairs into the living room. Mom walked out and saw me lying, crumpled on the floor at the base of the stairs.

'Mom I didn't mean for her to fall down. Am I going to be in trouble?' Tiffany said, crying.

'Oh honey, don't cry. Of course you're not going to get in trouble. Why did you push her?' Mom crooned, wiping the tears away from Tiffany's face.

'She's trying to steal my boyfriend. I just pushed her back a little but she tripped and fell. Mom, what if I get arrested?' Tiffany wept.

'Hush now, darling. You're not going to get arrested. Ally's not going to tell anyone. Stop those tears.' Mom murmured, gently pulling Tiffany into a hug. I rolled my eyes at the sickening scenario as darkness swapped me and I blacked out.

* * *

I woke up to a glass of water being pour over my face. I sat up, coughing and spluttering.

'What was that for?!' I said in annoyance.

'You passed out.' Tiffany said.

'I'm fine.' I said, and tried to stand up although as I did, the ground started swaying and I fell against the wall. I could see things in double which was probably not a good sign. Suddenly, I felt a wave of nausea come over me and I ran to the bathroom, bumping into a few things on the way. I was horribly sick over the toilet; it burned my throat and made me feel even dizzier.

'I am concussed.' I said out loud, self-diagnosing myself. I knew a quote about concussion…what was it now? I definitely know it but my memory seemed all tangled up at the moment. I racked my brains to remember it but it was useless.

I could hear mom and Tiffany muttering 'eww' downstairs but I ignored them and went to go and brush my teeth to get rid of that horrible taste.

'I am concussed.' I repeated to my mom and sister once I got downstairs.

'We best take you to the hospital to get you checked out.' Mom said as I shakily walked back downstairs again.

'Okay.' I said, shutting my eyes to stop the nausea. 'I knew a quote about concussion.' I told them dizzily.

'You and your stupid quotes Alaska! Just shut up, now is not the time.' Mum said, hurriedly dragging a jacket around my shoulders.

'Sorry.' I mumbled

'This is going to cost a fortune.' Mom sighed.

'Sorry mom.' I repeated.

'Whatever. Just don't you dare pull Tiffany into this. You saw how upset she was. Anyway, that is a pretty mean thing to do-stealing her boyfriend. Don't you agree?' Mom said, helping me up.

I sighed; it's useless even trying to defend myself in this house hold.

We had to drive up to the local hospital and then wait for an hour before we could be seen to.

'Remember Alaska: You were walking up the stairs, then you tripped and fell.' Mom told me for what felt like the hundredth time.

'Got it.' I replied. Tiffany had cheered up a little since mom brought me and Tiffany a magazine each. Well, Tiffany had a magazine but I chose a newspaper since, to me, finding out about the world is far more important that finding out which kind of handbags are in fashion.

'Alaska Kosowski?' An attractive doctor said, coming over towards us.

'yeah, that's me.' I smiled.

'Would you like to follow me?' He asked. 'You can bring your mom if you like.'

'No, that's okay.' I smiled and followed the doctor into a room.

'Just take a seat over there. I'm Dr Benedict but you can call me Xav.' He smiled warmly.

'Benedict? Any relationship to Yves and Phee Benedict?' I asked curiously.

'Yves is my brother.' He replied. It made sense really since they looked so much alike.

'Yeah you look like him.' I agreed.

'That's our drop-dead good looks. It runs in the family.' He winked at me. I decided that I liked Xav a lot. He was funny and kind and made you feel relaxed.

'So what seems to be the problem, Alaska? Cool name by the way.'

'Thanks. I feel down the stairs and blacked out.' I replied.

'Well that's very unfortunate. Do you feel dizzy? Nauseous?'

'Yeah, when I stood up everything was swaying and then I threw up.' I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

'No memory loss or anything? When's your mom's birthday?' He asked.

'6th of December.' I replied instantly. 'I knew a quote about concussion.' I said, sighing.

'Oh really? What was that?'

'I can't remember?' I admitted.

Xav frowned with concern. 'That could be because of the concussion. I'll tell you what, once I discharge you home, have a rest and then if you remember the quote later you can tell me.' He said, smiling warmly.

'Okay.' I smiled in agreement.

'Do you have a loss of balance or feel confused about your surroundings?'

'I feel more balanced now but even I don't have the greatest sense of balance at the best of times.' I smiled.

'Okay, I'm just going to check how bad the concussion is quickly or whether there's any damage.' He said. He pulled out a torch from his pocket and shined it in my eyes, checking for signs to see whether I was okay.

'You have very pretty eyes Alaska.' He said although I think he may have been lying since I know that they're far freakier then they are pretty.

'Thanks.'

Xav gently pressed his hands against my temple, feeling for the lump that formed when I hit my head.

'So how do you know my brother, Alaska?' He asked, distracting me while he prodded my forehead.

'I'm friends with Matthew Benedict. And I work for Phoenix.' I replied, wincing slightly with the pain.

'That's nice. I just came down from New-York to visit them.' He replied.

'You live in New-York? That's so cool!' I exclaimed.

'Yeah…it is cool.' He agreed. 'Anyway, you have a mild concussion, so you might feel dizzy and nauseous for a while but that will pass in a bit. When you get home, make sure you lie down with an ice pack on your head to reduce the swelling. I think you might have a bit of a bruise though.' Xav said, handing me a pill. 'Take some paracetamol now and then one before you go to bed.' He said, handing me a glass of water so I could swallow the pill.

'Thanks.' I smiled once I was all done.

'You are most welcome. Come on, I'll walk you back to your mom.' He smiled and held the door open for me.

'You're a good doctor, you know? I feel much better.' I said as we walked down the corridor, back to the waiting room.

'I'm glad to help.' He grinned.

'How do you feel, darling?' Mom said once we walked over to her.

'Better, thanks.' I replied.

'She's got a mild concussion but she should be okay after some rest. Wake her up every couple of hours, just to make sure she's okay. Make sure you come back to the hospital if you keep being sick or start forgetting your name.' Xav said, smiling at me.

'Maybe I could have your phone number to ring you if there are any problems. My names Marisa.' Mom said flirtatiously. Xav turned to look at me and I rolled my eyes at him.

'Come on, mom. Let's go home.' I groaned.

'Well it was nice to meet you, Alaska. You too Marisa. You can always stop by at the hospital if there are any problems.' He said awkwardly.

'Sure thing, honey.' Mom smiled at Xav.

'Mom….please!' I said in embarrassment.

'Okay! God Alaska. Stop whinging.' Mom hissed, giving me a harsh shove towards the door. Xav narrowed his eyes in my direction. I think he might be getting a little suspicious, mom must have thought so too so she quickly said goodbye and stood up to leave.

'Be safe Alaska.' Xav said, with a slight frown on his forehead.

'Bye Xav. It was nice meeting you.' I smiled.

'Did you tell him?' Mom asked me as soon as I got in the car. I got out my cracked phone on the way back to see whether Matt had text me but I couldn't even turn it on. Great. I really don't need that right now; it's going to cost a fortune and I really don't have the money.

'Of course I didn't.' I replied.

'Good. Let's hurry up and get home then. America's next top model starts in 15 minutes.' Mom replied and we drove away.

'A slight concussion of the brain simplifies matters so beautifully.' I whispered to myself, finally remembering the quote.

The more I thought about it, the more I realised the truth and meaning behind the quote. Everything was so much clearer now, as though I was seeing the world in a different way. Things were simple; I loved Matthew Benedict and it only took a small knock to the head for me to realise.


	11. Chapter 11

**Here is the next chapter everybody! :D I hope you enjoy it, please leave a review to tell me what you think :)**

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**Ally's POV**

Tiffany and mom were being super nice to me this morning as I came down stairs for breakfast.

'Alaska honey, how are you feeling?' Mom said as soon as I reached the kitchen.

'A lot better thanks.' I smiled and took a seat at the table.

'I'll make you some eggs, I know scrambled is your favourite.' Mom said kindly and turned back to the stove.

'Ally, I'm really sorry you know. I got you an ice pack.' Tiff said, handing the cool package to me. I smiled gratefully and placed it on my head.

'So, any plans today Alaska?' Mom said cheerfully.

'I've got to work.'

'That's a shame.' Tiffany said.

'Not really, I like my work.' I laughed.

'Yeah, you would.'

I was looking forward to work, especially now since I need to pay for a new phone. It was fairly warm so I wore patterned tights with light denim shorts and a black 'Led Zeppelin' top. Phee was already at the library with Polly, reading her a story.

'Good morning Alaska.' Phee said as I walked in.

'Hey Phee. Hey Polly.' I grinned.

'ALLY!' Polly shouted and reached her arms forward to hug me.

'How'ya doing Polly!' I grinned.

'I'm good.' She replied.

'What do you need doing, Phee?' I asked.

'Well, you could start putting the returned books on the shelf.'

'Sure.' I replied and got to work.

'I think Matt was trying to get hold of you last night. He said he's coming down to the library to check on you soon.' Phee said.

'Oh, my phone broke.' I smiled, secretly please that he cared so much about me.

After I ordered all the returned books, Phee asked me to put the boxes of new books on the shelf at the end of the library since it's dangerous for her to be lifting heavy things. There wasn't many boxes I had to lift although my head was still pounding, making it somewhat uncomfortable.

Matt walked in with Yves while I was half way through lifting the boxes. Yves went to say hello to Phee and Polly while Matt came over to me. I winced as the weight of the books made my head spin. Matt hurried over and took the box from me with ease.

'Don't carry it if it's too heavy for you.' He scolded, putting the box on the shelf.

'It's not easy carrying things with a headache.' I muttered.

'Headache? Are you okay? You shouldn't be carrying the boxes.' Matt said, looking at me with the upmost concern.

'Mild concussion. I'm fine when I'm not lifting stuff.'

'Concussion?! How did that happen?!'

'Tiffany accidentally pushed me down the stairs.'

'What?!' His eyes opened wide with shock.

'Accidentally!' I repeated. 'She didn't actually mean for me to fall down the stairs. She was just mad at me about something.'

'About what?'

'It's really insignificant. But the important thing is that I'm okay. Sorry I didn't reply to your calls; my phone broke.'

'Why are you lifting heavy boxes then? Does my mom know you hurt yourself? I bet the doctor told you to rest for a bit.' He chided.

'No, I didn't tell her.' I replied. Matt crossed his arms over his chest disapprovingly. 'I'm not going to make your 7 month pregnant mother lift heavy boxes.' I argued.

'Sit down. I'll do it.' He rolled his eyes and I took a seat on the floor with my back against the book shelf. Although the boxes weren't unbelievable heavy, I could tell that Matt was strong since he was lifting them as though they weighed as much as a feather. I could see the muscles in his arms ripple as he lifted the box and then reached over me to lift it on the shelf. As he lifted the boxes, the hem of his shirt rose a little, revealing Matt's tanned, toned stomach.

Once he had finished, he sat down next to me, resting his head against the shelf.

'You know, you really worried me last night when you wouldn't pick up you phone. Maybe I have a sixth sense for when you're in trouble.' He chuckled.

'It's nice to know that you care about me.' I smiled.

'Of course I care about you!' Matt replied and then, muttered what sounded like 'more than you think' but I wasn't too sure.

Matt sighed and lent back against the shelf. We heard a thump and both looked up simultaneously. One of the books was falling from the top shelf towards us. Its pages flew out like the wings of the butterfly and I had no time to react but to close my eyes before it could hit me.

I didn't hear a crash or feel the impact of the book hitting me; instead, I opened my eyes to find the book floating in mid-air. Immediately, I worried that I subconsciously used telekinesis to stop the book from falling but after thinking, I was positive that I wasn't using my gift at all. Once we moved out of the way, the book suddenly dropped to the floor.

'Whoaa.' I started to say, Matt looked away, not catching my eye.

'That was you, wasn't it?' I said, staring at Matt since he could be the only other one to stop the falling book from hitting me.

'I don't know what you're talking about.' Matt muttered.

'Don't lie to me Matthew Benedict. You made that book float to stop it from hitting me.'

'What floating book? Must have hit your head pretty hard.' He laughed nervously.

'Stop pretending you don't know what I'm talking about. I'm not crazy. That was you, wasn't it?'

'I have to go.' Matt muttered but I blocked him from walking away.

'You're a savant aren't you?' I asked, grinning.

Matt gasped and stared at me in surprise. 'You know about savants?' He asked, lowering his voice.

_'I am a savant.'_ I smiled at him. Matt staggered backwards in surprise, his eyes widened, staring at me in an emotion which was unrecognisable. I stared at him in confusion, trying to guess what he was thinking.

_'Better than that, you're my soulfinder.'_ His voice shot through my head like a firework. No…scratch that. His voice bounced around my head like fireworks going off on Chinese New Year in Chinatown. My emotions were so blurred together that it was hard to define how it felt. It was like my heart had been broken into a million pieces and Matt was the glue to fix it together, yet I hadn't realised it was ever broken before now.

'How…how can I be your soulfinder?' I breathed in surprise.

Matt steps closer to me, placing his arms around my waist. 'How could you be anything else? You make me a better person, Ally. You bring out the best in me and eliminate the worst. We're perfect for each other.'

I leaned up and pressed my lips against his, unable to hold the urge back any longer. Butterflies exploded and fluttered around my stomach. I like butterflies. Matt froze for a second but then, after getting over the initial surprise, he kissed me back. I felt his hands slowly move their way up my back, one holding the back of my neck and the other holding the small of my back.

'Ally.' He moaned into my mouth, gently pushing me against the bookshelf.

I reached up and knotted my hands in his hair, holding him against me as we kissed.

'Keep it PG. This is a public library.' Yves said from a distance.

Matt and I break off, slightly embarrassed but very very happy.

'Sorry.' I bit my lip, smiling.

'I'm glad you sorted out what you want, Matt.' Yves smiled.

'Dad, Ally's my soulfinder!' He said, just about loud enough so his dad could hear but not the whole library.

Yves stared in surprise and then looked back at Phee who was also staring.

'Congratulations!' Phee exclaimed, coming over to give us both a hug.

'How could you two go that long without finding out?' Yves asked, mystified.

'I didn't think you were a savant.' I said in bewilderment.

'I didn't think you were a savant.' Matt replied, staring at me in amazement.

'Well I'm glad you two discovered each other. You deserve it.' Yves smiled.

'Go and spend some time with each other, Yves will help me out here.' Phee smiled politely. Matt and I didn't need to be told twice, he grabbed my hand and we walked out of the library hand in hand.

'So then, soulfinder, what shall we do?' Matt grinned as we reached his car.

'I really don't care. I'm too happy to care.' I laughed.

'Survival: Apocalypse?' He asked.

'Perfect' I agreed, climbing into the front seat.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks so much for all the reviews! Especially to the guest reviews since i can't reply to them! :) Here is the next chapter, sorry if there are a few mistakes, i had a sleepover and now i'm really sleepy so i might have missed some stuff :)**

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**Matt's POV**

Alaska Kosowski was my soulfinder. It made sense in a weird way since I couldn't imagine myself with anyone else. I could barely focus on the road that much since my mind was a rollercoaster of happy thoughts.

'I'm so happy it's you Matt.' Ally said, placing her hand on top of mine.

'Same here Ally.' I grinned. 'Hey what's your gift?'

'I can stop other savants from using their gifts if I'm close enough.' She said.

'That's awesome.' I exclaimed and meant it. If Ally could stop other savants from using their gifts, then maybe she will be able to stop me from using my gift when I get angry. Then I could be less Hulk and more Dr Banner.

'What about you?' She asked.

'I can convert other people's energy to enhance my speed or strength…physical abilities.' I said.

'Super speed and super strength…you're like a superhero.' Ally exclaimed.

'Toby calls me Dr Banner since I only lose control of my powers when I get angry. He calls it my "Hulk-Smash" phase.' I laughed.

'Will you show me later?' Ally asked curiously.

'I'll show you my draw of broken x-box controllers. Sometimes when I get too worked up in the game, I accidently press the buttons too hard and end up smashing the controller.' I admitted. 'It's very expensive consequence for my gift.' I laughed and Ally joined in with me.

The house was empty today since mom, dad and Polly were at the library, Ben and Toby were out with their friends and Sadie and Elliot both did sport clubs.

'You can head up to my room, I'll get some snacks.' I grinned and went into the kitchen to raid the cupboards of anything unhealthy and sugary.

Ally was lying down on my bed, her silvery blonde hair was spread around her face, her beautiful eyes were staring up at the ceiling and her light pink lips formed a small smile.

'Hey cutie! Ready to kill some dead guys?' I asked coming in and perching on the end of my bed.

'Cutie?'

'It suits you because you're cute.' I chuckled.

'Let's see how cute I am when I decapitate a zombie using only my bare hands.' She laughed, trying to sound sinister but with a face like that, nothing she says could sound sinister.  
'Blaze and Galaxy against the rest of the world.' I said and turned on the games consol.

We played for a couple hours straight, managing to get onto another 3 more levels. Then we paused for a snack break once our thumbs were beginning to hurt.

'Want a cookie?' I asked, holding it out in front of her mouth. Ally moved forwards to take a bite but I quickly shoved the cookie in my mouth, laughing as the look of dismay falls over her face. Ally frowned and reached for the packet of cookies but I quickly grabbed them and held them out of her reach too.

'Something wrong, cutie?' I grinned mischievously as Ally calculated her next move.

Ally dives on top of me, pinning me down on the bed with her hands on my shoulders and her knees on either side of my legs. Before I discovered she was my soulfinder, I would probably blush bright red from being at such close proximity with her. Now, since we're unofficially dating, I kind of like it.

'Surrender the cookies or prepare to be obliterated.' Ally growled menacingly although she looked more like a chi Wawa then a Rottweiler.

'I'll never surrender! I'll take the cookies to my grave!' I roared and laughed evilly.

'Any last words? Zombie scum.'

'You'll never take me alive.' I whispered.

'Well it's a good job you're already dead then.' She said and we wrestled over the cookies. To be fair, she put up a good fight. I was afraid of crushing her but Ally had momentarily taken away my savant gift, making the match relatively evenly matched.

I was careful not to hurt her, but still determined to beat her. I had my legs wrapped around her to stop her from escaping and my hands pinning her hands to the bed.

'What was that about last words?' I asked in amusement.

'Kiss me?' She said sweetly and…well…who could say no to that. I lent forwards to kiss her on the lips, trying to keep my weight supported on my hands so I don't crush her.

Suddenly the front door shut and we heard Toby's voice shout out 'Hello? Anyone here?'

Ally used my surprise to my advantage and snatched the packet of, now crumbled, cookies from my grasp.

'I win. It was a pleasure doing battle with you Matthew Benedict.' She smiled smugly.

'Next time Alaska Kosowski, Next time.' I smiled, helping her up.

'Helloooo?!' Toby called again from downstairs.

'Hey, bro.' I called back. I heard footsteps come up the stairs, two at a time. Toby opened my door and grinned at me and Ally. He must have taken in our rumpled clothes, slightly red checks and crumbled bed-spread and reached a conclusion.

_'Do I even need to use my gift to work out what you two have been doing?'_ Toby said telepathically. Toby's gift was that he could find out exactly what you have been doing in the last 24 hours just by touching you.

'Toby, Ally's a savant. She's my soulfinder.' I grinned.

'Seriously! Wow, dude that is awesome!' Toby exclaimed.

'I know.' I smiled back.

'Welcome to the family Alaska. I've always wanted an older sister.' Toby laughed.

'Am I not good enough for you?' I teased.

'Do mom and dad know yet?'

'Yeah, they know.' I replied. 'Ally, what about your mom and your sister? Did you want to go and tell them?' I asked.

'Not just yet.' She replied which was strange because I thought she would be dying to tell them, just like I was with my family.

Mom and dad came home a while later with Polly and the rest of the kids. I told the rest of them as soon as they came through the door and they bombarded us with questions, speaking so quickly that neither of us had a chance to reply.

'Kids! Enough with the questions.' Mom said, trying to make some space in the hallway.

'Matt, Grandpa and Grandma are coming round. And Uncle Xav and Aunty Crystal and the kids.' Dad said as soon as we reached the kitchen.

'We're not going to be able to fit!' I chuckled.

'I grew up in a house of 10. We're kind of used to being cramped up.' Dad laughed. 'Why don't you invite your mom and sister over as well, Ally. I'd like to meet them.'

'No, it's okay. I haven't told them yet. I'll tell them later.' Ally replied. I think it's a little strange why I've never met her mom or been round her house. I don't know whether she doesn't want me to meet her mom or her mom to meet me. It's all very peculiar.

Everyone arrived shortly after, filling up the living room and kitchen.

'So this is your girl, Matthew?' Grandpa asked.

'This is Alaska, my soulfinder.'

'It's so nice to meet you Alaska.' Grandma said, giving Ally a tight hug.

'You too Mrs and Mr Benedict.' Ally smiled politely.

'Call me Kala, dear. This is Saul.' She said, gesturing to her husband.

'Alaska! How are you, my girl?' Uncle Xav exclaimed, coming in with Aunty Crystal and their two youngest sons.

'Good thanks Xav. I remembered the quote.' She smiled.

'Ohh, tell me?' He grinned.

'A slight concussion to the brain simplifies matters so beautifully.' Ally said.

'So true.' Xav nodded.

'I feel a lot better now thanks.'

'That's because I'm a healer. This is my soulfinder, Crystal and my two youngest sons: Oscar and Finley.'

Finley was the youngest at 17 and Oscar was a year older at 18.

'Hey Alaska! Dad's right, he said you were beautiful. Damn…your eyes, they're stunning.' Oscar exclaimed stroking Ally's cheek and giving her a flirtatious smile.

'Um…thanks.' Ally said, blushing bright red and stepping away from Oscar's hands.

'Don't mind him, Alaska. Oscar's like that with everyone.' Aunty Crystal smiled fondly.

'Yeah, I'm not really that into girls, if you know what I mean.' Oscar admitted, grinning.

'It doesn't stop him from flirting with anything with a pulse.' Finley chuckled.

'Come in, there's food on the table.' Phee said.

After everyone got some food, we all sat down in the living room, Ally and I sat on the floor since there wasn't much room left.

'So Yves told me you friends before you found out you were soulfinders?' Aunty Crystal asked.

'Best friends.' I confirmed, grinning at Ally. 'I never knew she was a savant until today.'

'That's so sweet!' Oscar exclaimed.

'What about you two? Have you gone looking for your soulfinders yet?' I asked Oscar and Finely.

'Soon. We've got tickets to London.' Finely grinned. I remember him telling me that both Finely and Oscar's soulfinders were in London so Oscar waited for Finely so they could go together.

'Well good luck.' Ally smiled.

'So when is Victor coming down?' Grandma asked.

'Uncle Victor's coming down?' I said in confusion.

'Yeah, I was going to tell you. Victor's bringing a friend of his from work to live here in Wickenridge for a couple of months.' Dad said.

'Why? We don't even know this guy.' Ben asked.

'I think his name was Fabian. He needs to keep a low profile for a while so his coming to stay in the house across the street from us.' Dad said.

'Low profile?' Elliot said.

'Work stuff I guess. Fighting criminals and stuff.' Dad shrugged vaguely.

'When?' Toby asked.

'We're going to pick him and Vick up from the airport tomorrow.'

'Are Uncle Vick's kids coming?' Ben asked.

'No, I don't think so. In fact, I don't even think Rogue is coming.' Dad said. Rogue was Uncle Victor's soulfinder which was slightly strange because soulfinders are practically joint at the hip.

'Vicks not staying for long, just a drop in visit.' Dad said, as if guessing my thoughts. He could never stay away from mom for more than a day or two.

'Ally! Will you play with me?!' Sadie exclaimed suddenly

'Sure Sadie. What shall we play?' Ally smiled

'Can we go outside?' Sadie asked hopefully. Ally looked at me, unsure what she should do.

'You want to go to the park, Sade?' I asked.

'Yes!'

'Right okay then. Anyone else want to come?' I asked.


	13. Chapter 13

**I am SO very sorry i havent updated as quick as i would have liked! I've been really busy but i did manage to write the next chapter so here it is :) I hope you like it, please leave a review to tell me what you think :)**

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**Ally's POV**

In the end, we walked to the local park with the children, well technically Matt, Oscar and I were adults but we didn't behave like adults, especially when it came to the climbing frame. Polly stayed at home since it was a little late for her to be going outside.

Ben was sitting on the swings, laughing at Sadie and Elliot who were arguing with each other over something trivial. I sat on the top of the climbing frame with Matt, Toby, Finely and Oscar. The sky was a fantastic red colour, almost as though it was on fire.

A saying sprung to mind: 'Red sky at night, Sailors delight. Red sky at morning, Sailors take warning.' Scientifically speaking, the setting sun is sending its light through a high concentration of dust particles which indicates high pressure and stable air coming in from the west. Basically, it means good weather will follow. Sometimes my scientific brain blinds me from the beauty of the wonderful world. So I pretended I knew nothing about particles and light rays and just appreciated the warm beauty of the sky in the arms of my soulfinder.

'So who's the smartest out of you and Matt?' Toby asked me.

'Me.' Matt and I said simultaneously and then laughed at each other.

'You're both such nerds.'

'Yeah but they're hot nerds so it cancels out.' Oscar grinned at me.

'Thanks Oscar.' Matt rolled his eyes.

'So what are your plans for the future?' Finely asked Matt and I.

We looked at each other, trying to decide without actually speaking.

'College?' Matt suggested.

'Sounds good.' I nodded.

'I bet you'll spend more time drinking than studying.' Toby grinned.

'Oh were not like that.' Matt and I exchanged a look. We would likely be sitting and playing the x-box instead of partying.

'It's always the quiet ones.' Oscar laughed.

'Matt! Sadie hit me!' Elliot yelled.

'Sadie! No hitting!' Matt yelled back, rolling his eyes.

'Do you guys want to play a game?' Ben asked.

'Sure thing, who's up for a game?' Matt grinned, looking at us. We all nodded in agreement and the boys jumped down from the climbing frame in one swift movement. I however, being the shortest, couldn't touch the ground so I was left hanging onto the metal bar by my fingertips.

'Jump Ally.' Mat laughed.

'It's a little high.'

'Scared of heights?'

'I'm not afraid of heights. I'm afraid of jumping from a height.'

'Why?'

'Because you have to face the fact that falling is inevitable.' I said. I felt the same way when I had to get off of Spiderman.

'Falling is only temporary.' Matt replied. 'Jump, I'll catch you.' He said with the upmost confidence. I trusted him so I let go of the metal bar and fell into his arms.

'See, that wasn't that bad.' Matt said, putting my feet on the ground.

'It was on the transition through the air.' I replied.

'Let's play!' Sadie yelled.

'Right then guys, what are we playing?' Toby said, gathering everyone together. 'Bearing in mind that we have no balls or bats or anything.'

'Capture the flag!' Elliot said and others agreed with him.

'Fine, we're going to need two teams then.'

'Ally can go with Finn, Sadie and I and then Matt, Oscar, Elliot and Ben can go on the other team.' Toby suggested.

'Game on.' Oscar agreed.

'We need two flags.' I pointed out. Toby and Matt pulled off their shirts, Toby's was red and Matt's was green.

'We can be the red team and you can be the green team.' Toby said.

'What are the rules?' I asked.

'We have 5 minutes each to hide our flag and sort out tactics, then, the first person to grab the opposition's flag and bring it back to their base is the winner.'

'You can't use your savant gifts but we'll allow telepathy.' Matt said.

'Okay…..go.' Finely said and each team split up to discuss tactics in private, turning to face away from the opposite team so no one could cheat. I hadn't known Matt's family for long but I could already guess who the cheaters would be.

'So then, team red, we need strategy. Finely, you can hide the flag and hide nearby for defence, Sadie and I will attack the other team and try and cause a distraction, Ally you can go and look for the green flag.' Everyone nodded and Finn ran off into the trees.

'Where will the other team hide it?' I asked. Toby laughed at me.

'That's the point of the game. Besides, you know Matt probably better than anyone. You'll work it out.' He said confidently.

'Are there any rules to this game?'

'Not really, you can do anything to stop the other team from getting their flag as long as you don't seriously hurt them.'

'Sounds…fun.'

'FIVE MINUETS ARE UP!' Oscar yelled from the other side of the field. 'GET SET….GO!'

Everyone ran off into certain places while I stood there, looking a little bewildered. It looked a little but like a war, with people shouting and wrestling each other to prevent them from finding the flag first.

_'Blaze and Galaxy…intellectually matched opponents in this game of victory.' _Matt's voice appeared in my head as he commentated the game. Speaking of Matt, where was he? He wasn't in plain view, that's for sure. That means that he was probably the one to hide the flag.

_'You know what? I think Galaxy's ability is seriously underestimated._' I said, running towards the trees on the opposite side.

The forest was eerily quiet apart from an owl that was sitting in one of the branches above me. It wasn't dark outside yet although it seemed darker in the forest since the leaves blocked out the daylight. Where would Matt hide it? If he was guarding the flag, then he would put it with something he can hide behind, like a tree? Just as I thought this, I spotted a green top in the distance, in plain view.

I knew it was probably a trap since I knew Matt was smart although I had no alternative plan so I figured I might as well go for it.

Just as I reached over to grab the top, Matt jumped out of the tree, snatching it away from me. I took in his shirtless, messy haired look and was caught between finding it amusing or incredibly hot.

'You look savage.' I said, grinning at him.

'The savage in man is never quite eradicated.' Matt replied.

'Henry David Thoreau.' I nodded knowingly, recognising the quote.

'You find me attractive like this.' Matt said smugly. I blush a little. 'You know, you should really practice keeping your shields up. Anyone could be looking through your thoughts right now.' Matt grinned wickedly. I felt my cheeks redden as I slammed up the shields to stop him from getting any more of my thoughts.

'Stay out of my thoughts.' I pouted.

'I couldn't help, your shields were down and your thoughts about how good I look topless were just floating into my mind.' He chuckled.

'Oh just shut up and kiss me.' I glared, making Matt laugh even more. He moved closer to me, sliding a hand around my waist and pressing his lips against mine.

Whilst kissing him, I carefully placed my hand on his top and gripped it tightly. I pulled away from the kiss and then snatched the top away from him and sprinted as fast as I can out of the forest. I made sure that I'm using my gift to stop Matt from cheating and enhancing his speed. Even without it though, he would still be faster than me.

'Damn girl! You play dirty!' Matt yelled from behind me.

'Sorry Matthew!' I laughed back, sprinting into the grassy field.

'Hey! They've got the flag!' Ben yelled.

Oscar grabbed me from behind, trapping me so I couldn't run any further.

'Ally!' Toby yelled, waving frantically at me. I threw the top to him and he proceeded to run back to our base. Sadie cheered and Ben and Elliot groaned in frustration as we won the game. Oscar laughed and picked me up in a fireman's carry so I was hanging upside down over his back.

'You may have won the game, but we have one of your team members as prisoner.' He laughed evilly.

'We'll make you a deal, you give us our flag and you can have your team member back.' Matt said, grinning.

'Don't do it Toby!' I yelled.

'Yeah, as much as I love you Ally, I don't love you as much as I love winning. No deal.' Toby said.

Oscar passed me over to Matt so I was the right way up.

'So then, what shall we do with the prisoner?' Oscar asked, raising his eyebrows.

'We could…eat her? Roast her? Lock her in a tower?' Matt suggested, tickling me so I squealed.

'Don't eat your soulfinder Matt!' Sadie yelled.

'I bet she would taste delicious. Especially with a touch of salt and pepper.' Matt chuckled, licking his lips.

'No! We surrender the flag! You can win!' Sadie yelled, taking our team's flag from Finley's hands and throwing it at Oscar.

'Sadie.' Toby groaned and rolled his eyes.

Matt let me down and pulled his shirt back over his head, making a 'loser' sign at me.

'You big cheat.' I said, nudging him in the ribs.

'You're the one who plays dirty.' He shot back, smiling at me. 'She took the flag from me by distracting me with a kiss.' Matt explained.

'Nice going.' Finely laughed and high fived me.

'We should probably get back soon. Mom and dad must me wondering where we are.' Matt laughed.

'Actually, I think I should probably be getting back soon. I forget to tell mom where I was.' I sighed, knowing that I would much rather spend the evening with Matt and his family.

The car journey home back to my house was quite but happy. We had the radio on and Matt was humming along to 'I'm yours' by Jason Mraz.

'I had a really lovely time today.' I smiled as we pulled up outside.

'It's been quite a day hasn't it?' Matt chuckled.

'The best I've ever had.' I agreed.

'Did you want me to come in to meet you mom?' Matt asked.

'Not just yet. I'll tell her first.' I bit my lip. I could see Matt was getting a little frustrated that he wasn't allowed to meet my family but I don't know how my mom would react, especially since her soulfinder died. She would see it as though I was rubbing it in her face or something.

'Bye Ally. See you tomorrow.' Matt asked hopefully.

'Of course.' I agreed and leaned over to kiss him before I left.


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm so sorry i'm taking a while to upload! I'm finding it really hard to find the time to update, sorry. Anyway, here is the next chapter although it is really short. Hopefully i will upload the next chapter soon :)**

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**Ally's POV**

'You kissed him! I told you that I liked him and you kissed him!' Tiffany screeched as soon as I came downstairs in the morning. Last night, when I came in, I went straight to bed since I was exhausted from running around and just wanted some well-earned sleep.

'We're going out.' I admitted, sinking down in the couch and trying to ignore the racket coming from Tiff's mouth.

'You bitch! You stole him from me!' Tiffany said tearfully.

'Alaska! How dare you! You know how much this boy meant to Tiff!' Mom exclaimed.

'He wasn't even yours in the first place! I love Matt and he loves me!' I argued.

'You're young! You don't know anything about love.' Mom said.

'More than you. I'm getting breakfast.' I muttered and got up to leave.

We continued arguing through the rest of the morning, over little thing such as who used the last of the milk (something that I got the blame for) and who's turn was it to wash up (again, something that I ended up doing.) After a while, I grumpily stormed up to my room to read my book. Mom and Tiffany were getting ready to go out again. Mom was taking tiffany to Denver to go shopping and they were going to stay overnight in a fancy hotel. I wasn't invited since Tiffany pointed out that if I came, she and mom would have to spend time in bookshops and stuff. Mom agreed, saying that it would be best for everyone if I stayed at home.

I heard someone open the front door downstairs; it was Matt, asking for me. I quietly walked to the top of the stairs to listen in to their conversation.

'Hello, are you Ally's mom?' Matt asked.

'Yes. Who are you?' Mom replied coldly. She had one hand on her hip and used the other one to smoke her cigarette, blowing the smoke in Matt's direction.

'I'm Matthew Benedict.'

'Oh, Tiffany told me about you. Are you here to see Tiff?' Mom asked.

'Actually I was coming to see Ally.' Matt said. I couldn't see him but I could imagine him fidgeting awkwardly.

'What do you want Alaska for?' Mom said.

'Well…she's my soulfinder. I just want to hang out with her.'

'Soulfinder…' Mom said, tasting the word on her lips. 'Alaska didn't mention having a soulfinder.'

'Mom, could you invite Matt in?' I asked from the top of the stairs.

'Why didn't you tell me you had a soulfinder, Alaska?' Mom asked, turning to me.

'Because…' I said and then trailed off since I wasn't sure what to say. 'Mom, could you just invite him in please?!'

'Sorry Matthew, Alaska can't come out to play today. She's grounded.' Mom said, smiling almost sarcastically.

'What for?!' I exclaimed from the stairs.

'For being a bitch. Now get to your room.' Mom said, shutting the door on Matt.

_'Matt? I'm so sorry. I'll see you at school on Monday?' _

_'No school on Monday remember? It's bank holiday. I'll see you after I pick up my uncle's friend from the airport.'_

_'Okay. I'm going to miss you. Sorry about the way my mom treated you.' _

_'What did you do to get grounded?'_

_'I don't even know. See you soon._' I sighed and cut off the connection.


	15. Chapter 15

**I only checked for spelling mistakes once since i am in a little bit of a rush so i apologise for any inconvenience I also apologies for taking so long again! I am truly sorry. Please leave a review to tell me what you think of this chapter :)**

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**Ally's POV**

'Mom! What was that about! Why were you so hostile towards Matt?' I said, coming down the stairs into the living room where Tiffany was crying.

'Why does she get a soulfinder and I don't! She took Matt away from me and now she has a soulfinder.' Tiffany wept as mom stroked her hair away from Tiff's face.

'Shhh Tiff. Don't worry about Ally. She'll be punished.' Mom crooned.

'I love you mom.'

'I love you too Tiffany.' Mom replied. She has never told me that she loved me or acted affectionately towards me. I couldn't help but feel a twang of jealousy.

'Mom. Why did you treat Matt like that?' I said again.

'Why didn't you tell me you found your soulfinder?' Mom retorted.

'Because I knew you would react like this! I wasn't going to bring Matt round because I knew you would behave like this and embarrass me!' I exclaimed in anger.

'How dare you.' Mom spat. 'I brought you up! I paid for all your stuff! I fed you and sheltered you, even when your no-good drunkard father wasn't around. He used to abuse me, Alaska! Yet I still look after you!' Mom yelled at me.

'No mom! You don't look after me! I pay most of the bills since you haven't even gone looking for a job yet! I pay for all of my stuff! I cook and I clean and you just take it for granted!' I yelled back.

'How could you speak to me like that?! You ungrateful, inconsiderate bitch!' Mom said. She brought her palm up to my face and slapped me hard. I guess I probably deserved it since I was behaving ungratefully but, for once, I was too angry to care.

'Why can't you just treat me like a daughter, mom? I used to love you when I was younger, before I realised that my love was unreturned.' I said sadly.

'You know what? You said that I embarrassed you as a mother. You embarrass me as a daughter! I hate admitting to my friends that this nerdy, ugly girl is my daughter! Why can't you be more like Tiffany!' Mom screamed at me.

'Why are you yelling at me?! You should be happy! I found my soulfinder!' I shouted back. 'You're just jealous because you're soulfinder is dead and I've just found mine!' I yelled and the whole room went quiet.

I regretted it as soon as I said it. I wish I could take the words back but once they left my lips, there was no return. Mom's face went pale and she flinched as though I had hit her. Even Tiffany stopped blubbering and stared at me in shock and hatred.

'Get in your room. I don't want to see your ugly face any more.' Mom said quietly, staring at me with daggers in her eyes.

'Fine.' I muttered turning to go.

'Mom, she spends most her time in her room anyway. It's not exactly a punishment.' Tiffany pointed out.

'You're right.' Mom said and tightly grabbed me by my arm, dragging me down stairs towards the basement.

'Mom you can't be serious.' I said, as she unlocked the door.

'Hell, I am serious. You over-stepped the line Alaska. This is your punishment.'

'I'm sorry mom.' I said honestly.

'Sorry is not good enough. You're just like your father.' Mom said and shut the door, locking me in the basement. It wasn't so bad in here: it had a light and a few boxes to sit on. It was a little chilly but that's understandable since its underground. However, It was definitely was a punishment; I had no books, no laptop, nothing to entertain me. I spend the next couple of hours reciting my times tables and going through the alphabet in different languages since I was that bored. I recited out loud any quote that had a relevance to my thoughts just for entertainment.

'Let's see…boredom…' I said, racking my brains for a quote.

'Ah-I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom. Spoken by Thomas Carlyle.' I said in triumph, suddenly remembering one.

'I wonder how many days of being stuck in a basement would it take for one to eventually die of boredom.' I mused out loud to myself.

I couldn't tell Matt that I was locked in the basement because he would get mad at my mom for doing this. Matt's family were so lovely and friendly that, for them, it was probably hard to imagine someone not being loved by their mother. Also, I literally couldn't tell Matt since mom's savant gift was to form barriers to stop telepathy among savants.

At around 6 o'clock in the evening, I could hear Tiffany shouting to mom in search for her new designer coat.

'Alaska! We're leaving now. We won't be home until tomorrow. There's food in the fridge, and the kitchen's a mess so I expect you to tidy it before we get home!' Mom yelled to me from the hallway.

'Bye mom!' I replied and I heard the front door shut. I waited until I heard the car drive off the driveway before walking over to the basement door since I was getting thirsty.

To my horror, the door was locked. I assumed that mom would have unlocked it before she left but evidently, she didn't. Panic rose inside of me as I realised that I was trapped in here and that mom and Tiff wouldn't be back until tomorrow.

_'MOM! THE DOOR'S LOCKED!' _I sent quickly in a panic. I couldn't reach her though since she was probably still using her gift to stop telepathy.

I decided to wait half an hour or so until mom was too far away so that her gift wouldn't have an effect on me so I would be able to contact Matt.

In the meantime, I searched the basement for anything I could use to break the lock but there was nothing. My throat was seriously beginning to feel dry now so I discarded any thoughts of water from my mind so I wouldn't have to think about being thirsty.

_'Matt? Matt can you hear me?' _I asked once 30 minutes had gone by. He didn't reply which at first I thought he might have been ignoring me but then I remembered that he was picking up his uncle's friend from the airport so he was too far away to hear me. I tried every member of Matt's family encase one of them stayed behind although they must have all gone to the airport since I couldn't reach any of them.

Then I tried Xav and his family and Matt's grandparents although they lived on the other side of Wickenridge which was too far so I couldn't reach them either. I tried shouting in hope that a neighbour might be able to hear me although it hurt my dry throat to scream. Feeling desperate and scared, I decided to go to sleep, hoping that it would block out my hunger and thirst so I curled up on some cardboard boxes and fell asleep.


	16. Chapter 16

**Okay, here is the next chapter! Thank you so much for you're lovely reviews, they really make my day when i read them :D**

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**Matt's POV**

I could understand now why Ally didn't want me to meet her mother. I would be embarrassed if my mother acted like that around people. We were on our way to the airport to pick up Uncle Victor and his friend since their plane was due to land in the evening.

We met Fabian at the airport and he seemed quite nice. He had pale blonde hair which was gelled neatly into a side parting. He wore a suit, like Uncle Vick, which seemed a little strange since they were only getting on a plane. I would have just worn tracksuit bottoms.

'Vick! I haven't seen you in a while! How have you been?' Dad exclaimed, greeting Uncle Vick.

'Good thanks, Yves. How's the baby, Phee?' He asked.

'Great actually. This is going to be the last one though.' Phee laughed and I think dad inwardly sighed in relief. 7 kids would be a lot to handle, but 8…now that's a challenge.

'Yves, this is my good friend Fabian. Fabian, this is my brother and his family.'

'Nice to meet you all.' Fabian smiled. He spoke with a slight accent which I couldn't quite place although it sounded European.

'You too. This is my wife Phee, and my kids: Matt, Toby, Ben, Elliot, Sadie and Polly.' Dad said.

'You guys must be tired.' Uncle Vick commented. Polly was fast asleep in my arms which probably gave it away.

'Why don't we stay over in a hotel tonight, rather than driving in the dark?' Uncle Victor suggested and we all agreed that it would be a good idea.

We had McDonalds for dinner which the children livened up at. Even I perked up a little at the sound of burgers and chips, who wouldn't? Well…Vegetarians maybe.

'So, Fabian, do you have any family?' Mom asked once we had all sat down at a table.

'My soulfinder passed away a couple years ago. I'm living alone now.' Fabian smiled sadly.

'Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that!' Mom said, her face sympathetic as she knew how hard it would be if you lost your soulfinder.

'That's okay. She had terminal cancer when I met her so we always knew that it wasn't going to last forever. I'm just glad I met her when I did.' Fabian replied optimistically. 'Anyway, speaking of soulfinders, I heard you found your soulfinder yesterday?' Fabian asked me and I tore my eyes away from my food to look up at him.

'Yeah.' I smiled. 'Her name's Ally.'

'Xav's down with his family. He's waiting to see you. And mom, she's very happy that you're coming down.' Dad said to Uncle Vick and Victor chuckled for he knew how happy Grandma gets when the family come down for visits.

'I'm not staying long, besides, we only went on holiday. It's not like we moved to the other side of the world.' Uncle Vick laughed along with dad.

'What was your case like? The one where you have to keep a low profile for?' I asked Fabian out of interest.

'I took down a large group in connection with the Kelly family. I need to lie low for a while because they're not too happy about it.' Fabian chuckled, not sounding bothered by the potential danger threat at all.

'Kelly's? As in the Las Vegas Kellys? They're still around?' Dad asked in shock. I recognised the name of them since Dad has told us the story of how Uncle Zed found Aunty Sky. It always seemed far too like the movies for it to be true. Adventure was a rare occurrence in our household. The most adventurous I have ever been is when Toby and I got lost in the forest on the outskirts of town when we decided to go looking for adventure. Toby dared me to eat a worm and for some reason I complied, although it made me terribly sick and I kept throwing up everywhere. I vowed never to go on anymore adventures after that.

'Yeah. Sean Kelly is the main culprit.' Fabian said. 'He escaped prison a couple months back.'

'Mommy I'm tired.' Sadie yawned, rubbing her face although she failed to realise that she had ketchup on her hand which was also rubbed onto her face.

'We'll book into a hotel soon.' Mom replied, wiping off the tomato sauce with a paper napkin.

'We can go now if you like?' Uncle Vick said since we had all finished our dinner.

We spent the morning looking around the shops in the airport before driving back home again. I drove with Fabian, Toby and Uncle Vick in the car.

'Keen to see Ally again?' Toby laughed, guessing my thoughts.

'Yeah. She's grounded at the moment though.'

'Ally? Grounded? I can't imagine her doing anything bad. What did she do?'

'No idea. Her mom seemed pretty mad at her though.' I replied.

Just as we pulled into Wickenridge, I felt Ally contacting me telepathically although the connection was still quite weak.

_'Matt?'_

_'Hey Ally, You okay?'_

_'Matt! Help….I'm so thirsty.' _Her panic filled voice filled my mind.

_'Have a drink then?'_ I suggested in confusion.

_'No...can't…trapped.'_

I gripped the wheel of the car with worry and anxiety. '_Trapped? Where are you? Are you okay?'_

_'Locked in basement…Dehydrated.'_

_'You're locked in the basement! Ally, how long have you been there?'_

_'Since yesterday afternoon. Please come.'_

_'I'm coming, hold on, yeah?'_

_'Going to pass out…' _

_'I'll be there soon.'_

Toby must have noticed something was wrong because he was looking at me expectantly.

'Everything okay?' He asked in concerned.

'No. Ally's in trouble. I need to go and help her.'

'What kind of trouble?' Uncle Victor asked quickly.

'She said she's locked in the basement. She's really dehydrated.'

'Where's her mom? Can't she help her?' Toby frowned.

'I don't know Toby. What if her mom locked her in? She was really mad at her yesterday.'

'Drive us to Ally's house.' Uncle Vick instructed, turning all serious and business-like.

I pulled up outside her house a few minutes later, after notifying dad what had happened. I jumped out the car and ran over to the house, not waiting for anyone although Toby caught up with me.

'Should we smash a window or something?' He asked as I tried the door but found that it was locked.

Uncle Vick and Fabian came up behind us. Fabian lifted up a plant pot, revealing a spare key underneath.

'People are so predictable.' He chuckled, handing me the key.

I had never been inside Ally's house before and it was completely different to mine. The hallway was littered with a gazillion shoes, all of which were too high and sparkly to belong to Ally. I saw Ally's worn out converses at the end of the hallway. There were no pictures on the walls, unlike our house which is covered in family photos and trophies.

The basement was locked on the outside although the key was sticking out the lock in the door. Ally was curled up, lying on some bits of cardboard. I ran over to her and pushed her hair away from her face.

'Ally! Ally wake up!' I said, gently shaking her shoulders. She didn't respond or open her eyes. I anxiously checked her pulse but was relieved to find it beating as normal.

'Is she okay, Matt?' Toby asked.

'Yeah. I think she fainted.' I said, lifting her up in my arms.

'Do you know how long she's been here?' uncle Vick asked, looking serious.

'She said since yesterday afternoon.'

'Well the door was locked on the outside so it looks as though someone locked her in.' Fabian said.

'It seems like a pretty sick punishment.' I said in disgust. My parents would never do that to any of us, no matter what we did.

'Maybe you should take her up to the hospital just in case Matt?' Uncle Vick suggested.

'Yeah, could you tell dad where we're going?' I replied.

'Sure.'

Uncle Vick drove us to the hospital and Toby, Ally and I sat in the back. Well…Ally lay across Toby and I. She was wearing light blue skinny jeans, a pretty white top and a pair of odd socks: one blue and one green. I forgot to pick up some shoes for her on the way out but I guessed that probably wasn't the most important thing at the present moment.


	17. Chapter 17

**Wow! I cannot believe the amount of reviews my last chapter got! Thank you so much! :D Here is the next chapter. I am not entirely happy with this chapter but i felt as though i should upload it soon. Sorry. I hope you like it anyway, please review!**

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**Ally's POV**

Someone was holding my hand. Matt, presumably, since he was the only one who would hold my hand without it seeming weird. There were other people around me, some voices that I recognised and others that I didn't. I felt better which was good…more hydrated; my brain was actually functioning as normal.

I opened my eyes and stared at the people around me. Matt was sitting beside me, holding my hand. Yves was sitting with Xav and two other men who I didn't recognise.

'Ally? You're awake.' Matt said, looking pleased but concerned at the same time.

'How long did I pass out for?'

'Not long, about half an hour or so.' Yves said.

'We really must stop meeting like this, Ally.' Xav smiled kindly, pulling out some kind of fluid drip in my arm. I shuddered as he pulled it out.

'Squeamish?' Xav asked in amusement.

'Just a little.' I admitted.

'How do you feel?' Matt asked.

'A lot better thanks.' I said. One of the men who I didn't recognise, the one with light blonde hair, was staring at me, probably staring at my eyes. I tried to pretend not to notice but he carried on starting at me in a mixture of fascination and curiosity.

'How long did you go without water Ally?' Xav asked.

'Um…..' I said, looking at the time on Matt's watch. 'About a day and a bit.' I replied.

'No wonder why you were so dehydrated. I've given you some fluid so you should be okay now.'

'Ally, could you tell us what happened? Who locked you in the basement?' The other man with the dark ponytail said.

'This is my brother, Victor and his friend Fabian.' Yves explained, gesturing towards the two men.

'It's nice to meet you.' I smiled, sitting up on the bed, cross legged.

'You too Ally.' Victor replied, staring at me expectantly.

'Oh yeah, your question…It's okay, I doesn't really matter.' I said, brushing it off.

'Ally you could have got seriously ill. It does matter.' Matt urged.

'It was my fault.' I sighed. 'My mom and I had an argument and I said…some things that I shouldn't have and it made her mad.'

'Mad enough to lock you in the basement?' Victor said, crossing his arms in a serious manner.

'She didn't mean to lock me in for as long as she did. She wasn't trying to hurt me or anything, just punish me.'

'What do you mean when you said she didn't mean to?' Fabian asked.

'I think she only meant to lock me in for a couple hours. She just forgot to unlock the door when she went out with Tiff.'

'How do you know she didn't do it on purpose?'

'Because she told me to clean the kitchen before she gets home.' I sighed. I knew she didn't care about me; I spent most of my life convincing myself that she just loved me in a different way to Tiffany but the older I got, the less I believed it.

'Should we call social services or something?' Yves frowned.

'No! She didn't do it out of meanness. She just…' I started to object but couldn't finish the sentence.

'Didn't care about her daughter enough to remember to unlock the door.' Victor finished for me. I sighed since, deep down, I knew it was true.

'Look, I know she doesn't love me. She's told me that ever since I can remember. But I do know that she's a great mom to Tiffany.' I defended.

'What about the last time you came to the hospital? Did you really fall down the stairs?' Xav frowned.

I hesitated for a moment. 'That was an accident. Tiffany didn't mean for me to fall down the stairs.'

'Ally, I don't want you back there. Couldn't you stay at our house for a bit?' Matt looked at his dad for permission.

'Of course, Ally. You're always welcome to stay. Plus, I think the children would love having your around.' He smiled.

'Well, if that's okay…I don't really feel like facing my mom just yet.' I said.

I looked back over at Fabian to see if he was still staring at me intently, and he was.

'Ally, this may sound strange, but is your name short for anything.' He asked suddenly, shocking me slightly.

'Yeah, it's short for Alaska.' I replied.

He sat back in surprise, as though he was trying to work something out. 'Alaska Kosowski?'

I frowned. 'Yes…sorry, do I know you or something?'

'Alaska…I'm your father.'


	18. Chapter 18

**Thanks again for all the reviews! I love reading every single one of them. They make my day! Here is the next chapter although it is a bit of a filler chapter so not much is going on. I hope you enjoy it anyway, please review! :D**

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**Ally's POV**

'No you're not. You can't be.' I said quickly. There was no way that this attractive man, dressed smartly in a shirt and black trousers could be the drunkard, abusive man my mom described. Besides, Mom had always told me that my father's name was Frazier!

'You're mother is Marisa, correct?' He said, smiling.

'Yes…but you can't be.' I said quietly, trying to get my head around the whole situation.

'How many other Alaska Kosowskis do you know with such amazing eyes as yours? Even as a baby they were quite spectacular.'

'No no no…I don't want you.' I said in a panic.

'Ally, I've tried looking for you for all these years and I've only just found you.'

'No. Just leave us alone. Please go.' I said, raising my voice slightly. I felt Matt tense up beside me at my distress. Pain and disappointment spread over Fabian's face.

'I'm sorry I haven't been there for you Alaska, I promise I'll make it up to you.' He said earnestly.

'I don't want you! Mom took me away from you to keep me safe! You used to abuse us!' I hissed, shrinking back away from him.

Fabian's face fell. 'Ally! I would never hurt you or your mother. How could you say that?' Fabian said, looking shocked and a little bit heartbroken.

'Mom told me. She told me that you used to get drunk and hit us. She ran away to get away from you so we could be safe.'

'Ally, I've known Fabian for a long time and I know that he would never hurt you or your mother like that. He's a good man, Ally.' Victor said fairly.

'I don't know what Marisa has told you but I never did any of the stuff she accused me of. I don't know why she told you this stuff but I promise you, it's not true.' Fabian said with such honesty and assurance that I felt myself believing him.

'Are you saying…my mom lied to me? For 18 years?' I whispered.

'Coming from the same women who locked you in a basement, that seems quite likely.' Xav commented.

'Ally, could you just give me time to explain.' Fabian asked.

'I…don't know…' I stammered.

_'Ally, he seems like a good guy. Maybe he's telling the truth.' _Matt said to me telepathically.

_'Should I talk to him?'_

_'I'll wait just outside. You can call me if anything happens, okay?'_

_'_Okay.' I said uncertainly.

I sat awkwardly on the bed, fiddling my fingers and waiting for him to speak first. Everyone else had left the room to give us some space to sort things out.

'You look so beautiful, you know? Just how I pictured you to look.' Fabian smiled.

'Umm…thanks.' I said.

'You're probably feeling extremely confused at the moment. I'll try and explain it all.' He sighed.

'Okay.'

'I'm originally from Poland, if you can tell by the accent.' He smiled.

'And my surname. There weren't any other Kosowskis on the school playground.' I laughed nervously.

'When I was 23, I moved to America with my job…to Alaska in fact. That's where I met Marisa, at a small café in Petersburg. We were both savants but not soulfinders although, never the less, we fell in love.'

'And then I was born?' I asked.

'Yeah, you were born a little later. The pregnancy revealed a side to Marisa that…I didn't like. I told myself that it was just hormones and stuff but even after you were born, she wasn't very….'

'Nice?' I suggested.

'I was going to say cooperative although she wasn't very nice either.' He smiled. 'I stayed with her though. I wanted you to grow up with both parents in your life.' He smiled sadly.

'Then why did mom leave?'

'When you were one years old…I met my soulfinder, Lilly, in a hospital. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer so I knew it wouldn't have lasted for ever but I wanted to spend every last minute with her. I loved her.' He said, twirling the wedding ring around his finger.

'I told Marisa that I found my soulfinder and that I wanted to move in with my soulfinder but she wasn't too happy. I still wanted to see you. You were my favourite person in the world, the most beautiful baby I could ever imagine. People even stopped me in the streets to comment on how pretty you looked.' He smiled at me.

'But what?' I said, urging him to continue.

'But Marisa didn't want me to be happy. She was jealous that I was happy with my soulfinder and she wasn't. She ran away and took you with me so I couldn't see you ever again. I tried looking for you, Alaska, I really did but I couldn't find you. About 5 years later, I heard that you were living up in Michigan with Marisa, her soulfinder and your half-sister. You would have been 6 at the time and I would have been a complete stranger to you so… I decided not to intrude on your life.' He said sadly.

'What about you're soulfinder?' I asked quietly although I think I could guess the answer.

'She passed away.'

'I'm sorry to hear that.'

'It wasn't unexpected. Both of us were prepared for it.' He shrugged looking at me.

_'Alaska? Where are you?! I thought I told you to clean the kitchen?' _Mom messaged me telepathically.

_'Mom. I'm at the hospital. You left the door locked in the basement. I was dehydrated.'_

_'What?! Did you tell anyone what happened?!' _

_'I had to! They found me passed out and locked inside our basement!'_

_'Come home…we need to talk about this. Tell them it was an accident Alaska! You can't let them take Tiff away from me!' _Mom said, I could hear the panic and distress in her voice over losing her precious Tiffany.

'Mom wants me to go home. She's worried.' I said, not mentioning that she was more worried for Tiffany than she was for me.

'I can't believe Marisa would do something like that.' Fabian sighed, sitting back. 'You said that she used to tell you she didn't love you…why?' Fabian said.

'Because I remind her of you.' I sighed. 'I really should get going.'

'I agree with Matthew, Alaska, I don't want you to go back there. Stay with the Benedicts. They're good people.' He said. He helped me up from the best and gave me his best fatherly smiled and rubbed the top of my head.

'I'm glad you found me.' I smiled honestly. It was hard not to trust someone as kind and friendly as Fabian.

'Me too Ally.' He smiled. 'You know, I used to try and imagine what you would look like and now I know.' He chuckled.

'Will I see you later?'

'Yves has invited me round for dinner, so I guess I'll see you then.'

'Should I call you dad now?' I laughed, only half teasing.

'It would be a bit strange but I could probably get used to it.' Fabian chuckled.


	19. Chapter 19

**I am very sorry it has been ages since i updated but i went on holiday and didnt get a chance to write any new chapters. I also had writers block for a couple of days so this chapter isnt the greatest but i might edit it later if i want to improve it. Please review! :)**

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**Matt's POV**

Dad, Ally and I drove back to Ally's house so she could get her shoes and anything she would need to stay over at our house. I could tell by her quietness that she was scared of going back there and I felt hopeless in not being about to do anything about it.

'Why don't I have a word with your mom, Ally. You can go get your stuff.' Dad suggested, smiling kindly. Ally nodded in agreement and climbed out the car.

'Alaska baby! Are you okay?! We've been so worried, haven't we Tiff?' Ally's mom exclaimed as soon as she opened the door, embracing Ally in a tight hug.

'Mom, I'm going to stay at Matt's for a bit.' She said quietly.

'Why?'

'Because I don't want to stay here.' She answered simply, holding my hand for moral support.

'Come on Ally, that's a little bit of an over-reaction. Why don't we talk about it?' Marisa suggested.

'I think that talking is a good idea. I'm Yves Benedict, Matt's father. May I come in?' My dad said politely.

Marisa hesitated since she realised that she didn't really have a choice in the matter and reluctantly stepped aside to let us in.

'You can get you stuff Ally.' I said quietly as we got into the hallway. Ally nodded slightly and ran upstairs. Dad and I followed Marisa and Tiffany into the small kitchen.

'Would you like a drink of something?' Marisa asked.

'We're not staying for long.' Dad replied.

'Did you put the idea into my daughter's head that she shouldn't stay here?' She asked me.

'I found her passed out and locked in your basement.' I said harshly.

'That was an accident. Ally knows I would never do anything like that on purpose.' Mom defended.

'Locking her in the basement in the first place was bad enough.' Dad said.

'We were both very angry at each other. She said some…unforgivable things.' Marisa shrugged and Tiffany nodded in agreement.

'What did she say?'

'She brought up my deceased soulfinder, Tiffany's father. She was behaving completely out of order.'

'Locking your children in a basement is never an acceptable punishment.' Dad said curtly.

'I would never ever to that to Tiffany. Please don't tell social services. It was just a mistake.' Marisa said, looking desperate. Tiffany started crying.

'Please don't let them put me in care mom! Why does Alaska have to go and ruin everything?!' Tiffany cried.

'We're not going to tell anyone. Ally made it clear that she doesn't want social services getting involved which you should be incredible grateful about. However, Ally is going to stay with us for a while. I don't feel comfortable with the idea of her staying here.' Dad said, looking very serious.

'Fine…thanks for not telling anyone.' Marisa said quickly. I was surprised and disgusted at how quickly she was willing for Alaska to stay with us.

'I'm ready.' Ally's small voice appeared from the doorway.

'So are we, Ally.' I said, walking over to her and taking her bags from her.

'Bye mom, bye Tiff.' Ally said although neither of them replied. Marisa and Tiff both purposely looked away to avoid eye contact with Ally.

'You okay, Ally?' I asked once we got into the car since looked a little close to tears.

'They really don't care about me, do they?' She said quietly.

'You don't need them, Ally. You've got us now. We're you're family.' I smiled, rubbing the back of her hand.

'Besides, you have a father now.' Yves said from the front.

'Oh yeah….Fabian…wow it really has been a day hasn't it.' She said, leaning against me.

'Yup, it really has.'


	20. Chapter 20

**Wow, it really has been a long time since i last updated. I can only apologise and try and update more frequently. Im having a tough time settling into 6th form and trying to juggle school work with social life which is why i disappeared on her for a while. Anyway, here is the next chapter, sorry again for the delay. **

**Matt's POV**

Once we got home, dad went into the kitchen to brief mom on what was happening.

'Matt, I trust that you're old enough to sort out sleeping arrangements for Ally.' Dad said.

'Yeah.' I replied, trying to hide my blush. I lead Ally up to my bedroom and dumped her bag on my bed.

'I don't mind sleeping on the floor if you want the bed.' I offered.

'I'm not kicking you out of your bed, Matt. I'm quite small; I don't take up that much room.' She smiled.

'Right okay…It's going to be fun, right? Like a sleepover.' I grinned.

'I've never been to a sleepover.'

'Me either.' I admitted.

'So this is what all the cool kids do then?' She said, lying down on my bed.

'I don't know, I've never been a cool kid.'

'I figured that.' She chuckled.

'What gave it away? My liking of chess? My wide collection of novels? The fact that I get beaten up by the school bully?' I laughed, lying down next to her.

'Why do you let Walker do that to you? I'm sure you could knock him out if you tried.'

'That's exactly why I don't fight back. I could probably kill him.'

'You're like Dr Banner. He tries to be good and not hurt anyone but deep down, his a big tough monster.' Ally said, laughing.

'I get enough Hulk references from my family, not you too.' I pretended to groan and poke her in the ribs, causing her to squeal.

'Ticklish, are we?' I asked, smiling almost sinisterly.

'Me? Never?'

'Liar.' I accused.

'I don't ever lie…I just sometimes bend the truth.' She laughed. I rolled over, trapping her beneath me so I could tickle her even further, just to prove my point.

'Matthew Benedict! Get offff!' Ally exclaimed, squirming in every direction. I decided to go easy on her and let her fight back. It's always more fun when Ally fights back.

I found myself lying on my back with Ally on top of me. She had hold of my arm and bent it behind my back, stopping me from moving.

'You always let me win.' She accused, bending my arm back a little further until I felt some mild pain.

'I don't mind losing to you.' I replied, grinning.

'I love you Matt.' she said, so quietly that I almost missed it.

'I love you too Alaska.' I smiled, feeling a flurry of butterflies around my stomach. Ally bent forward to kiss me, releasing the grip on my arm so I could move my arms to hold her tighter.

'Ewwwww! That's gross! I'm telling dad!' Sadie squealed from the doorway and proceeded to run off downstairs screaming: 'Dad! Ally and Matt are kissing with their tongues!'

Ally sat up, holding her stomach with laughter. We could hear Toby and Ben laughing from the hallway.

'Privacy is non-existent in this household.' I chuckled.

**Ally's POV**

At dinner time, Victor and Fabian/dad came round, along with Xav, crystal, Oscar, Finely and Matt's grandparents. Matt lived in a massive house but with all the people inside, it felt very small; Small but cosy. We ordered take-away pizza since there was too many people to cook for. I decided to take a break from the loud, constant chatter of the living room and head to the kitchen.

Victor, Yves and Fabian were in the kitchen, talking about something in lowered voices. When they saw me, they smiled and Yves and Victor walked out, leaving me and Fabian.

'How did it go with your mom?' He asked.

'She was more worried about the police getting involved.' I said truthfully, taking a seat next to him.

'She's been like this to you your whole life?'

'Not really. She was never mean; she just made it clear that she didn't like me very much. She wanted her perfect family with her soulfinder and Tiffany.' I explained.

'What happened to her soulfinder?'

'He died in a car accident.' I replied. 'He was alright I guess. He never liked me that much either since I wasn't his daughter.'

'If only I knew, Ally, I would have come to find you.' Fabian said sadly.

'Well you're here now.' I smiled.

'I'd really like to get to know you some more Ally. Maybe we could go out tomorrow, just the two of us?' He said.

'Yeah I'd like that.' I agreed. 'How are you settling into your new house?'

'It's very nice actually. Very big; I'm used to live in a one bedroom flat. How are you and Matt getting along?'

'Great. Matt's great.' I laughed. 'I've known him for a while now; he's my best friend.'

'That's nice. Sometimes friendship is more important than love in a relationship.'

'Oh, I think I love him too.' I admitted sheepishly.

'You're growing up so fast, Alaska.' He smiled, although there was a touch of regret in his smile, as though he wanted me to stay a little girl for a bit longer.

'Grub's up!' Toby yelled from the hallway. By 'grub' he was referring to the great amount of pizzas which were stacked high in the pizza delivery guy's arms. Fabian and I helped load the pizzas into the living room whilst Toby paid the man at the door.

The pizzas were laid out on the living room floor like a minefield. I sat next to Matt on the floor since we were still considered kids and only the adults sat on the couch.

'Did you know that Americans eat approximately 350 slices of Pizza per second?' Matt said, breaking the silence.

'Did you know that 3 billion pizzas are sold in America and 5 billion worldwide?' I shot back.

'Did you know that I am far wiser than you?' He replied.

'Did you know that the only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing.' I replied, quoting Socrates.

'Ah hell no! Don't you bring Socrates into this! You can't bring an ancient, dead philosopher into this! He can't be there to fight your battles.' Matt exclaimed.

'Well I was planning on building a Tardis when I'm older but then I would have to deal with all the problems of paradox's and black holes and stuff so I guess I'll have to fight my own battles.'

'I bet you a whole pack of twinkies that you can't build a machine that travels faster than the speed of light.' Matt said, smirking.

'If you work out the math in Einstein's formula for time dilation going faster than light, it does not produce a negative time motion-' I said although Matt cut me off to finish my sentence

'It actually turns out to be an imaginary number which is the square root of a negative number.' Matt grinned at me with amusement of out scientific and philosophical banter. The rest of the room were staring in silence and amazement since they couldn't keep up. Maybe Yves was an exception; he was smiling fondly at us.

'Our kids our weird.' Fabian stated, turning to face Yves.

'The weirdest.' Yves agreed.

Everyone left fairly late so the children went straight to bed. Matt and I stayed up a little later with popcorn, watching 'the avengers' on his 40 inch TV in his bedroom.

'It's been quite a strange day, hasn't it?' Matt said once the film had finished.

'The strangest.' I agreed.

'You tired yet?'

'A little…are you?' I said. A wave of awkwardness suddenly came over us both as we realised that we would be sleeping next to each other

'A little. Shall we go to bed?' He replied.

I wasn't like you see in the movies, where the man and women lie asleep, curled up in each other's arms. Matt told me off numerous times for stealing the duvet and then and we feel asleep in a tangled mess. We didn't even wake up at the same time, like they do in the movies. I woke up almost an hour before Matt so I got up and played on the x-box. I decided against 'Survival: Apocalypse' and instead chose a driving game since 'Survival' was _our_ thing.

'Good morning, gamer girl.' Matt's deep voice sounded from the bed behind me.

'Morning sleepyhead. Just to let you know, I beat you record.' I grinned.

'What? Damn it, give me the controller.' He groaned as I handed him the controller so he could attempt to get back his achievement but failed.

'Any plans for today?' Matt asked, though the mask of concentration on his face.

'I was going to go out with my dad if that's okay.'

'You don't need my permission, cutie.' Matt chuckled.

'My name is Alaska and I am far from cute.' I replied.

'It must be weird for you, to see you dad after all these years.' Matt mused although he couldn't look my way since he was hypnotised by the screen.

'Even weird that I've only known him for a day, yet I already like him better than my mom.'

'To be fair, that wasn't hard to beat.' Matt commented.

'Unlike my new record on the game, now that's going to take you ages to beat.' I laughed.

After breakfast, I had a shower while Matt tried desperately (and failed) to beat my record. I was nervous which is silly because I've already met Fabian but I was still nervous. Matt must have sensed my nerves as I walked back into his room as he said: 'I can come with you if you're scared?'

'No, it's okay Matt. I'm not scared of him, just scared of the prospect of having a father. I don't really know how to act.' I admitted.

'Just act how you feel comfortable acting, Fabian's a good guy, he'll understand.'

'I love you Matt.' I blurted out spontaneously. I immediately felt a wave embarrassment wash over me but was quickly reassured by the beam that appeared on Matt's face.

'I love you too Ally. And don't you forget it, ever.'


End file.
